ldy12

Hi booklovincam,

I don't know any Ortho surgeons who specialize in TKRs in Atlanta, but I have a couple of ways you can find a Top surgeon for that once you move there.

The first thing you should do once you are settled in your new home in Atlanta, is to call the Univ. of Georgia in Atlanta Medical Center and ask them for two or three names of Orthopedic surgeons who specialize in joint replacement surgery, particularly knees and hips. Once you call one of these referrals and make an appointment to see him or her, make SURE YOU ASK HOW LONG he or she has been doing TKRs (SHOULD BE AT LEAST TEN YEARS EXPERIENCE), AND how many TKRs per year he or she does. (SHOULD BE AT LEAST 200/YEAR!). Before you move there, MAKE SURE you get copies of ALL YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS, ESPECIALLY ANY MRIs AND/OR X-RAYS OF YOUR KNEE(S) from your current Orthopedic surgeon, and bring all that with you to the new surgeon!

The other method for finding a TOP ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON in Atlanta who specializes in joint replacement surgery is to get a copy of the publication, Castle Connelly TOP DOCTORS in the U.S. This annual listing of Top Doctors is sorted by specialty and also has smaller volumes for different parts of the country. (For example, I live in Westchester County, NY, so I always get the version for the New York Metro Area every year.) Go to your local Barnes & Noble or other bookstore and ask if there is one for the Atlanta Metro area. I imagine there probably is. (If not, get the FULL 2012 Castle Connelly Top Doctors in the U.S. version for the ENTIRE COUNTRY, and I am sure that will probably further sort specialists by area of the country.) It's pretty expensive, but well worth the price. I mean, I imagine you probably will need a new primary care physician in Atlanta also, at the least, plus any other specialists you might need down the line.

Each listing for each Top Doctor, whichever version you end up getting, lists the following information: The doctor's name and degree(s), Specialty in parentheses); Special Expertise (such as joint replacement); Hospital affiliations (where he or she has admitting and/or surgical privileges); His or her office address and phone number; Date of MOST recent Board Certification (most specialists have to take Continuing Medical Education Courses and then take the Board Re-certification Exam every 3 to 5 years, depending on their specialty); the Medical School they graduated from and what year they graduated; Where they did their General Residency in their specialty, and any further training they acquired and where they did that (such as a Fellowship in their subspecialty) and finally, if he or she has a Faculty appointment at the nearest hospital affiliated Medical School.

This publication really is the BEST guide to finding TOP SURGEONS AND DOCTORS IN ANY SPECIALTY for your health care needs. If your bookstore doesn't have it on hand, they can order the specific version you need
Good luck!

Best regards,
Carol