Pottstown, PA Orthopedic Knee Doctor
At Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania our orthopedic knee doctor in Pottstown, PA knows that the knee has a crucial job – to support the body and execute many of the movements you perform every day. Those functions, coupled with the complex nature of the knee joint, make the knee susceptible to many types of injuries and disease conditions. Knee pain and stiffness can derail your ability to perform everyday activities and move through your day with ease. Contact our orthopedic knee doctor for all your knee pains.
What to Look for in an orthopedic knee doctor Pottstown, PA?
Find an orthopedic knee doctor who:
- Is board certified in orthopedic knee treatment and who specializes in knee replacements
- Has experience treating patients with your specific condition, such as knee arthritis
- Practices at a hospital with high-quality outcomes in knee replacement or orthopedic surgery in general
- Accepts your insurance
- You are comfortable talking with and who fully answers your questions
Here are five steps to finding the best orthopedic knee doctor Pottstown, PA to perform your knee replacement.
1. Ask Around
Start by creating a list of potential orthopedic knee doctors. Ask your family, friends, and other healthcare providers for recommendations. If you’re starting without any referrals, or you’re looking for more options, search Healthgrades.com for orthopedic surgeons who perform knee replacement.
2. Research Credentials and Experience
Take time to research the doctors’ credentials and experience. Look for a knee doctor who is board certified in orthopedic knee doctor and performs knee replacements on a regular basis. You can even narrow your search to orthopedic knee surgery. The more experience a doctor has treating your condition or performing knee replacements, the better your results are likely to be.
Also, confirm that the doctor is in good standing with state and federal agencies and that he or she has no history of malpractice claims or disciplinary actions.
3. Examine Hospital Performance
Knee replacement surgery often requires a team of highly skilled and experienced healthcare providers. For this reason, you should also consider the overall quality of knee replacement care at the hospital where your knee surgeon practices.
Find out where the orthopedic knee surgeons on your list can treat patients; then research those hospitals.
Ideally you should find a hospital in your area that performs better than expected for knee replacements. Then, find a doctor who can admit and treat patients at this hospital. Avoid hospitals with lower than expected research results.
If a particular hospital falls short in quality, determine if the surgeon also operates at a different facility. Otherwise, find a knee doctor who treats patients at a hospital likely to offer you the best possible outcome.
4. Interview the knee doctor
As you narrow down your list of knee replacement surgeons, call each knee doctor’s office and ask for a consult appointment to meet and interview the doctor.
Ask yourself if you are comfortable talking with the doctor.
Does he or she respect your opinions and answer your questions in a way you understand?
Here are some questions to ask the doctor:
Do you typically treat patients like me?
How many knee replacements have you performed?
What results do you usually see? Do you have outcomes data to share?
Which complications do you most frequently encounter from the surgery?
What do you do to avoid complications or correct them if they occur?
5. Determine Your Insurance Benefit
Your insurance coverage is a practical matter. To receive the most insurance benefits and pay the least out-of-pocket for your surgery, you need to choose a knee surgeon that participates in your plan.
But keep in mind, just because a doctor participates in your insurance plan doesn’t mean he or she is a high-quality doctor. You still need to consider the doctor’s experience and expertise.
Help is available
If you are struggling with any cause of knee pain – consider scheduling a consultation with our experienced team at Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania today. We are ready to help you.