Vasectomy.com - Locate a Doctor

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How to Locate a Doctor in Your Area

Here are some ways to help you find a qualified professional close to you. By doing a little research, you can discover a doctor who is right for you.

The vasectomy procedure is most commonly performed by board-certified urologists… medical doctors who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and surgical care of the male reproductive organs. Specially trained family practitioners also perform this procedure. Because this procedure is both simple and safe, it is normally done in a doctor’s office and usually takes less than an hour.

List. Check. Consider.

Then Decide.

Compile a list from several sources.

Here, presented in random order, is a list of helpful suggestions for you to choose from to help locate a urologist who’s right for you.

Use the FIND A DOCTOR feature on this Web site. There are several options and search tools available including a link to the American Urological Association and other professional organizations.
Ask your health insurance provider. About 85 percent of health care insurance programs include coverage for the vasectomy procedure, so there may be little or no cost to you. However, you may need to select a physician from among a lengthy list of providers who participate in your plan.

Ask your family doctor to recommend a urologist. General practitioners routinely make referrals to specialists.
Call a local hospital. You will not need to go to a hospital for a vasectomy, but most hospitals can provide you with a list of urologists in your area.
Ask a close friend or family member about their experience. "Word of mouth" is a common way to find out more, and it’s highly likely that you know more than one person who has had a vasectomy. This may not be a good source for medical advice, but you can learn how others came to be informed and approached their decision.

Credentials: Digging deeper.

In addition to referrals, you may want to consider the training, credentials and experience of a doctor. Many practitioners include this information in a professional practice Web site, brochure, an informal "waiting room resume" or a formal, professional biography called a Curriculum Vite (CV).

You may want to confirm this information with independent sources. Some ways to dig deeper include:

Consult medical directories. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), for example, allows the public to verify the board certification status, location by city and state and specialty of any physician certified by one or more of the 24 Member Boards of the ABMS. It’s free online, but you will need to have the correct spelling of the individual’s name: Go to: ABMS [ http://www.abms.org/ ]
Consult your state or local medical society. Many such organizations provide a clearinghouse for information that is available to the general publi
Check hospital appointments. Typically, hospitals examine a doctor’s credentials and experience before making staff appointments. Many also monitor staff performance. A teaching position at a hospital or medical school can be a further indication of qualifications.

Other practical and personal considerations.

In addition to identifying one or more qualified urologists, some more simple, sensible criteria may also be useful to keep in mind. You may or may not want to consider:

Proximity and convenience. People are often willing to travel a little further to see a specialist. Even so, you will probably want the doctor’s office to be not-too-distant, easy to find, have convenient hours, allow easy access and parking, and/or be close to public transportation.
Gender and age. Some people have a preference for a doctor of the same gender or of a certain age group. These factors, however, probably do not have much to do with the qualifications of the practitioner.
Language. Effective communication is important to every doctor-patient relationship. If this could be a concern, you may want to ask what languages are routinely spoken in the office.
Office intangibles. Your experience with a urology practice can be influenced by non-medical things, such as how you were greeted on the phone, how the office looks, the attitudes of the staff, the way the doctor makes you feel and other intangibles.

In Summary:

Urologists, surgical specialists, perform most vasectomies.
You can compile a list of doctors from several sources.
In addition to referrals, you may want to consider, and independently verify, training, credentials and experience of doctors.
Practical considerations may also be important in your choice.

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