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.
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 
feature on this Web site. This option allows you to search through
the Vasectomy.Com Directory of doctors - both urologists and family practioners
- with an interest in vasectomies.
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 doctor's
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.
Click on to search the Vasectomy.Com Directory for a Physician.
Check out related pages from vasectomy.com…
|
 |
Email this Article to Friend.
Print this Article.
