How can I find a list of surgeons who accept Medicare for anterior knee surgery?

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SUMMARY

To find surgeons who accept Medicare for anterior knee surgery, utilize the doctor search function on Medicare.gov, which allows filtering by specialty, although it may not yield comprehensive results. Additionally, consider using WebMD to identify orthopedic surgeons, but be aware of the limitations in filtering for Medicare acceptance. A two-pronged approach is recommended: cross-reference acceptable physicians with insurer-acceptable lines of approach and vice versa. This method ensures a more thorough search for qualified surgeons.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Medicare insurance types, including traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.
  • Familiarity with the Medicare.gov doctor search function.
  • Knowledge of orthopedic surgery specialties.
  • Basic skills in cross-referencing data from multiple sources.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to effectively use the Medicare.gov doctor search tool.
  • Learn about the differences between Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.
  • Explore additional medical directories like Healthgrades or Zocdoc for surgeon listings.
  • Investigate the process of verifying surgeon acceptance of Medicare through direct communication.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for individuals seeking anterior knee surgery, caregivers, and anyone navigating the complexities of Medicare insurance to find qualified medical professionals.

WWGD
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Hi All,
A non-tech-savvy friend needs anterior knee surgery with doctors accepting medicare. How would I go about collecting several Drs satisfying the needed conditions? Unfortuantely, from what I have seen, the info is spread about many web pages, so that a comprehensive search, i.e., containing all reqs, returns no hits. Ultimately, I would like to have a list of surgeons and send a few emails to verify they satisfy the search conditions. I don't know if I can do some scraping from Medicare.gov, or if someone has better ideas.
Thanks.
 
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WWGD said:
A non-tech-savvy friend needs anterior knee surgery with doctors accepting medicare.
Has he been told that by his primary care physician? If so, that Doc should be able to give some preferred referrals. If not, how do they know they need anterior knee surgery?

I'm not all that familiar with Medicare, but I would think that going to a specialist would require a referral from their PCP, no?
 
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berkeman said:
Has he been told that by his primary care physician? If so, that Doc should be able to give some preferred referrals. If not, how do they know they need anterior knee surgery?

I'm not all that familiar with Medicare, but I would think that going to a specialist would require a referral from their PCP, no?
Thanks Berkeman. I will ask her that. She just told me she needed it and asked me to look for someone well-qualified accepting Medicare. I am not very familiar with it myself. Will ask and follow-up.
 
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If she has plain Medicare (as opposed to an advantage plan) and the specialist accepts Medicare insurance, that is all that is needed. If she has an advantage plan, then that plan specifies what is required.
 
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WWGD said:
Hi All,
A non-tech-savvy friend needs anterior knee surgery with doctors accepting medicare. How would I go about collecting several Drs satisfying the needed conditions? Unfortuantely, from what I have seen, the info is spread about many web pages, so that a comprehensive search, i.e., containing all reqs, returns no hits. Ultimately, I would like to have a list of surgeons and send a few emails to verify they satisfy the search conditions. I don't know if I can do some scraping from Medicare.gov, or if someone has better ideas.
Thanks.
I'm not clear from that how much work you have done on Medicare.gov, but it does indeed have a doctor search function.
 
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russ_watters said:
I'm not clear from that how much work you have done on Medicare.gov, but it does indeed have a doctor search function.
Thanks Russ, yes, I tried it. I can only narrow it down to Ortho surgeons, if I try to narrow it further I get zero hits. I am trying now WebMd, but I will have to narrow down for Medicare accept.
 
Sometimes the acceptance or non-acceptance for payment by an insurance plan, of and for care provided by a particular physician, can depend on the path by which you arrive at the decision point.

There are conceivable instances in which a person is insurably eligible or ineligible for the same care by the same physician, depending pivotally upon how the person got to that physician.

I think that you and your friend should take a two-pronged crossover-intersectional approach: (1) find a list of acceptable physicians, and cross-reference the candidates against a set of insurer-acceptable lines of approach to them; (2) find a list of by-your-insurer-possibly-payable providers, and cross-reference that list against a list of acceptable physicians.
 
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