How to Find A Good Foot Surgeon

Foot surgeons can be invaluable experts to many people, especially those who have either a long history of foot issues or have just recently suffered issues and injuries involving their feet. However, like every medical practice out there, there is no single best option to choose when you are browsing the list of medical experts who might be able to help you.

If you want the best orthopedic foot surgeon options in your area, you need to know what to look for. It is not always enough to just stick to basic details, like cost and location: sometimes you have to go deeper and explore a wider range of factors if you want to make a smart choice.

But what should you look for in a foot and ankle surgeon, especially in a high-demand area like Los Angeles?

Certifications

You always want a certified and experienced surgeon working on you, no matter what procedure you get. Looking at the level of expertise that a medical professional has can help, but the certifications and licenses are more important – after all, these prove that they can legally operate within their own field.

When looking into foot surgeons in the area, you should check their credentials before making any appointments. This is especially important for independent small-scale professionals who may operate their own businesses or work as part of a smaller local medical practice since it is easier for those without the right licenses to slip under the radar.

If you find a doctor who appears to be operating without any licenses or certification, do not go through with any of their procedures. Always double-check their credentials and qualifications, especially if you are having other reasons to doubt specific surgeons that would otherwise be perfect for you.

Experience

There is a huge difference between someone who just graduated from a medical program and someone with decades of experience in their field. You can get some great medical practitioners with relatively fresh credentials and new licenses, but the more serious and complex the surgical work is, the more experience matters.

Foot surgery is not the most common or frequent type of operation, so even a well-trained and credentialed professional can still have little experience with such procedures. Finding someone with a proven track record and enough experience to guarantee your safety is always best.

Remember, it is better to spend more time looking for the perfect surgeon than to rush into a procedure with somebody who is clearly not that experienced. When your health is on the line, you must take the extra time and effort to ensure that you will be in the safest and most experienced hands possible.

Location

You can’t work with a surgeon or other medical specialist if you can’t easily reach them when you need their help. Remember to consider the context of their location as well as their overall quality and reliability – you want a practice that you can get to consistently if you need their help, especially in the case of a serious accident.

Even a world-class surgeon is no good if you have to travel several hours every time you need them. The best options are often the ones that are in a convenient location for you, since that allows for easier care or emergency help if something goes wrong and you need to rush to your chosen foot or ankle expert.

Of course, this does not necessarily need to be a practice that is within walking distance. Even if you choose a Dallas foot surgeon like ankle surgeon Chris Sakowski and happen to be on the opposite side of the city, the driving time can still be low enough to make that choice more than suitable.

Reputation and Reviews

If a practitioner has a solid reputation, then you should take that into account, even if they are located far away or not exactly in a convenient spot. You should also do the same if they seem to have a mixed or negative reputation or have been involved in some sort of incident or scandal.

Look at their history, especially online reviews. While some practices are going to have far more reviews than others, good reviews from genuine patients can make a massive difference to a business. Make sure to consider both the positive and the negative feedback when making a decision, but remember that some feedback may be out of date or heavily biased.

Negative reviews can be a red flag, but you should only really worry about them if they seem recent or are part of a constant trend. A one-off review from a few years ago will not mean as much as a recent string of negativity about something that the practice does on a regular basis.

Cost and Availability

If you need immediate assistance, then the last thing you want is to be caught up in a price comparison between different medical practices. You may have an emergency situation, but if you can’t pay the fees, that will not help you.

The same applies if the only time you can see a surgeon is during a very expensive and limited window, especially if you have an incredibly busy routine schedule alongside the surgeon’s own tight schedule. Both price and overall availability are major parts of being able to use a specific surgical practice, so you need to consider both at the same time.

Of course, this does not mean that you need to go for the cheapest open-all-hours practice that you can find. You need to consider both of these elements, but they are only part of how you should try to find the right medical expert.

Which Practice Should I Choose?

There is no single best practice out there. Every patient will have their own price ranges, availability requirements, specific medical needs, and many other factors that determine what is right for them.

When looking for a specialist like a foot or ankle surgeon, you should keep these factors in mind. It is important to choose the right surgeon for your own needs and situation, not just the first one that you come across.