Your hands are more complicated than it looks. There are lots of nerves inside your hands and tendons and muscles that allow you to move your hands so that they can perform all the tasks they do daily. It’s true, life can be significantly harder if your hands can’t properly move, whether it’s because of a birth defect or caused by a degenerative condition or an injury.
Needless to say, if you are having problems with your hands, wrists, or fingers that only surgery can correct, you should find the best hand surgeon to ease your situation. In this article, we will share five tips to ensure that you’ll find a reliable hand expert:
1. Ask Your Physician for Their Recommendations
Your primary care doctor is the one who knows you and your overall health best. They also happen to be in the “inner circle,” so they have knowledge of the top doctors for different specialties. For sure, if you ask them for recommendations for a reputable hand and wrist doctor who can perform the surgery if needed, they’ll be more than happy to give you some names.
A referral from your physician may also be a requirement of your health insurance, so check if that’s the case. This step is important because if you already have a specialist in mind, you might want to consider asking your doctor if you could be referred to that hand specialist.
2. Get Referrals from Family and Friends
If you know anyone who has undergone hand or wrist surgery in the past, you should definitely hear about their experience with the surgeon who handled their case. You can also ask them about their other choices, and why they ultimately chose the doctor that they went with. This will give you at least one more name to consider.
3. Do Your Research
Once you have your list, you must take time to know as much as possible about each doctor on your list. Of course, you will want to ensure that they passed the boards. You might also want to check if any of them have trained for specialized hand care or had fellowship training in hand and wrist surgery. Another aspect you need to check is whether or not the doctors have records of disciplinary actions, or worse, malpractice claims. These pieces of information will give you an idea of whether or not the doctor you’re considering is really the right one for you.
4. Check the Hospital or Medical Facility
When you have narrowed down your choices, you might want to check the hospital where they’ll do the surgery. It’s important that you are comfortable and confident that you’re getting surgery in a hospital where there’s state-of-the-art equipment, friendly and reliable staff, and one that has a good survival rate and few records of complications. You might also want to consider the location for your convenience.
5. Check Your Insurance Coverage
For practical reasons, you must check the list of doctors your insurance is in partnership with. Unless you are willing to pay for the cost of the surgery full price, your choices may be limited to who is on your insurance provider’s list.
Conclusion
At this point, you now know that there are several steps to do before you make a decision. By consulting with your physician, asking your friends’ opinions, and doing your due diligence, you can find the best hand surgeon for you who can help you with your concern.
Are you still on the lookout for the best hand specialist in Jacksonville, FL? North Florida Hand and Wrist Center has two of the most respected surgeons in this specific field – Dr. Richard Curtis and Dr. Jose Baez. We can address your hand and wrist concerns in our state-of-the-art surgery facility. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!
