How to Get a Hernia Surgery Consultation

The majority of hernias are diagnosed by primary care physicians during either a routine physical examination or as a result of the patient complaining of symptoms. After a diagnosis confirming the presence of a hernia, a surgery consultation will be scheduled with a specialist in hernia repair.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Pursue a Hernia Surgery Consultation

1. Ask your primary care physician to schedule an appointment with a hernia surgery specialist. Your doctor will know which surgeons she prefers to use for procedures such as hernia repair. Since she continues to monitor the patient's general health care needs after surgery, she sees the results first hand.
2. Realize the restrictions for a surgery consult if you participate in an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) or PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) health insurance plan. Some policies require the surgical consult to be initiated by your primary care physician. Other plans allow you to choose from among the plan participants.
3. Contact a surgeon who is experienced in laparoscopic surgery. Most hospitals will supply a list of surgeons on staff with their areas of expertise. Don't hesitate to ask for the number of laparoscopic hernia repairs that are done on a monthly basis and which doctors do the most procedures.
4. Look for a surgeon who is board certified in his field. Since complications in a laparoscopic surgery to repair a hernia can result in the need for an open incision, the surgeon should be certified in laparoscopic surgery and general surgery. Surgeons with the initials "FACS" following their names indicates they are board certification by the American College of Surgeons.
5. Check with your state's medical board to verify credentials at the Federation of State Medical Boards (see Resources below). Some states provide more information than others, but you can determine if the surgeon you're considering to get a consultation from is on suspension or has any misconduct charges against him.
6. Ask your primary care physician which doctor he would use if he needed to get a hernia surgery consultation.

Tips & Warnings

• There are numerous sub-specialties in surgery. The location of your hernia will dictate the best specialty to look for to get a consultation. For instance, a colon and rectal surgeon may be recommended for repair of a hernia of the intestines. A general surgeon, however, is trained to do surgery on almost any area of the body.