How does one go about sourcing THE BEST Neurologist/neurosurgeon?

[laurac260]

Long story, rather not post too much personal info here, but how does one go about finding the "best of the best?"

 

[Passepartout]

There was an interesting segment on NPR's Talk of The Nation/Science Friday today about surgeons/surgery. It was suggested that (if you know one) that an O.R. nurse will give great suggestions of which surgeon s/he would have perform surgery on him/her. Apparently they are banned (professional courtesy?) from saying who they would not have do their surgery.

I wish the patient well.

Jim

 

[Phydeaux]

That's a very open ended question. Best in your city? Best in your state? Best in the country? Best in the hemisphere? Is money unimportant?

 

[MelBay]

Angie's List now lets people review doctors. However, I'm not sure that I'd put much stock in the fact that the teller at the grocery store and the trash man think Dr. Schwartz is a great neurosurgeon. Whole different level than ranking painters, electricians, roofers, etc.

I also heard that NPR segment today. If you'd like a listen, here's the link. It was very interesting:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201201136

 

[laurac260]

That's a very open ended question. Best in your city? Best in your state? Best in the country? Best in the hemisphere? Is money unimportant?

Best in the country. Money is never unimportant, but in this situation, we need the best we can possibly afford. The stakes are too high to trust anyone but the absolute best, which is why I am curious to find if there is some way to source them out.

We do have a friend who assists neuro's in our area, and he gave us the best in our area. I want to broaden our search.

 

[laurac260]

http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201201136[/url]

I will check this out, thanks!

 

[DeniseM]

If you have health insurance, you may want to start with the doctors that are affiliated with your health insurance. I can't imagine that you plan to pay for it out of pocket.

 

[MommaBear]

Here is the US New and World report on the top Neurosurgery Centers in the US. Your post does not indicate where you are from, but there is a wide geographic distribution. Generally these doctors will not see you without a referral from your PCP. Good luck with whatever you are dealing with.

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/neurology-and-neurosurgery

 

[laurac260]

Here is the US New and World report on the top Neurosurgery Centers in the US. Your post does not indicate where you are from, but there is a wide geographic distribution. Generally these doctors will not see you without a referral from your PCP. Good luck with whatever you are dealing with.

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/neurology-and-neurosurgery

Thanks for posting this.

We are in SW OH. Not one of the hospitals in our area made the top 50. Only Cleveland Clinic made the list at all, at #6.

 

[ampaholic]

If you have health insurance, you may want to start with the doctors that are affiliated with your health insurance. I can't imagine that you plan to pay for it out of pocket.

Many will cover a specialist if pre-approved.

Dr. Jonathan D Carlson MD in Spokane saved my DW last year - and sorry I didn't post about it here I considered it private.

Link to info about Dr. Carlson and a good site to look up Dr.

 

[SDKath]

Top rated are typically UC San Francisco on the West Coast and Cleveland Clinic, Harvard and Mayo towards the East Coast. Often when you choose a surgeon, you should be looking at the quality of the hospital, nurses and support staff as well because it is just as important as the person operating on you. In general, the best of the best is going to be Harvard, UCSF or similar "name" hospitals. Katherine

 

[MichaelColey]

... It was suggested that (if you know one) that an O.R. nurse will give great suggestions of which surgeon s/he would have perform surgery on him/her. ...

I have to agree with this sentiment. Talk to everyone you know in the medical field and ask them who THEY would go to if they needed a neurosurgeon.

That's how we found our pediatrician and ob/gyn, and both are absolutely amazing.

 

[isisdave]

First of all, neurology and neurosurgery are vastly different. If you don't know which you need, get some guidance on that first.

If there's a diagnosis already, you want the best person for dealing with that, and Googling can help when you have specific terms to Google. If not, I'd go with the top person at one of several reasonably close places, unless you're willing and able to travel and stay a while. Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, etc.

 

[m61376]

Often the best place to start is with a trusted doctor. Doctors tend to know who is "best" for your particular problem. Many of these top doctor sites/awards are akin to Who's Who and the like- if the "honoree" pays a fee then they are listed, while others are based on patient recommendations (and bedside manner often plays a role in that- not really important in a neurosurgeon, although of course an added plus).

And who is "best" for one type of neurosurgery is not necessarily the best for another problem. A caring family doctor knows who to call to get recommendations. While top practitioners tend to be at good hospitals, some of the best people in the country are in places other than those few elite institutions.

Good luck- I unfortunately shared the need to find "the best" neurosurgeon for our infant, and time was of the essence, so I understand your angst. Luckily we have a lot of connections and the right calls were made rather quickly. It turns our that one of the foremost surgeons internationally for that problem was practically at our doorsteps and thankfully everything turned out so well that he later asked for permission to utilize her x-rays at a lecture in Russia. At the time we were able to narrow down our choice to two doctors, both renowned in the procedure, basically by doctors calling other doctors and chiefs of services.