If you experience knee degeneration, you will know how painful it is. At some point, you will have to find someone like James DeVellis MD, who is an orthopedic surgeon. However, this is a major decision, because nobody voluntarily has a knee replaced surgically. So how do you find a good orthopedic surgeon?
James DeVellis MD’s Top Tips to Find a Surgeon
- Speak to your local family doctor to ask for a list of referrals. Do not accept a referral to just one single surgeon, as you will need to see multiple ones. Speak to people you know who may have had surgery themselves. Your uncle who everybody calls an “old fox”, for instance, may have had some sort of joint replacement without you knowing about it.
- Look at their credentials. Find out what education their received, how much experience they have, whether they have any specialized skills, and how they have kept their medical degree up to date. Do also make sure that they are board certified and through which association.
- Find out what their experience, training, and specialization is. Find out how often per year they complete the surgery you need. One surgery per month can be expected at least. Find out whether any of those cases were more complicated than others, and check the surgeon uses the latest technologies as well.
- Check out the surgeon online and through social media. See if they have been on the news or whether there have been any allegations of misconduct against them. Remember that allegations are not always true.
- Have a consultation with the surgeons on your shortlist. Talk about your specific situation and find out how they believe you should be helped. Make sure you feel comfortable with the specialist and their opinion and don’t forget to ask any questions that you may still have.
- Get a second opinion. You should always make sure that you check someone else’s opinion as well, even if you fully trust the surgeon you have chosen.
It is very important that you take the time to research all your options. At the end of the day, someone is going to open your body and replace a part of your anatomy that you were born with and should still live with. It is vital that the person who does that is someone you trust and who has the experience you would expect.
Only after all of this should you find out what the cost of the surgery is. In the vast majority of cases, your insurance should cover your procedure, although there may be some restrictions in this, particularly in terms of whether or not the surgeon is within the insurer’s network. Furthermore, you also need to find out what type of aftercare the surgeon recommends and whether or not that is included in their treatment. You should also check whether that treatment is covered by your insurance package as well. Put together, this will ensure you find the right surgeon and your mobility will be increased again.