What To Look For When Picking An Acid Reflux Doctor
Picking the right acid reflux doctor is never easy. Web searches can sometimes prove fruitless or they can uncover an overwhelming amount of information. There are many factors to consider and oftentimes the information you do get offers conflicting advice about what physician is best suited to your needs. When choosing a physician to help manage acid reflux, there are three important factors to consider:
Experience
The most important factor to consider is the amount of experience the physician has. When looking for an acid reflux doctor, you’ll want to find one who is familiar with your condition and is qualified to recommend the best course of treatment.
You may also want to consider their treatment styles - i.e. whether the physician’s office offers any kind of anti-reflux surgery or whether they encourage PPI’s. Good acid reflux doctors will never recommend PPIs as an effective long-term treatment method given their proven harmful side effects.
If the physician’s office does offer acid reflux surgeries, check whether the physician you’ll be meeting with will actually be the surgeon in the operation and whether or not they have the right accreditations to perform the acid reflux surgery (starting with, are they board-certified). With any surgery, you will want to find an experienced and skillful surgeon to make sure the procedure goes off without a hitch.
Finding the best reflux surgeon for the job from an experience perspective isn’t always easy. Some surgeons specialize in one type of anti-reflux surgery but aren’t experienced in performing others. At Tampa Bay Reflux Center, our surgeons have extensive experience performing all three major anti-reflux surgeries: Nissen Fundoplication, TIF/Esophyx, and LINX®.
Accessibility
Accessibility is crucial when considering which acid reflux doctor is right for you. It can be hard to fit in a doctor’s appointment if you have a busy schedule and you don’t want to have to drive across town or to another city just to consult your physician.
Tampa Bay Reflux Center has four convenient locations in the greater Tampa Bay area, making it easier than ever for our patients to get care. With our offices in Tampa, Brandon, St. Petersburg, and Riverview, you can have access to quality medical attention wherever it is most convenient for you.
Affordability
The third factor to consider is affordability. It can be hard to find an experienced and convenient acid reflux doctor who is also affordable. That being said, you also shouldn’t avoid or put off a necessary medical procedure because of the price.
GERD surgeries enrich a patient’s life in almost every aspect and they help stop patients from developing severe or even life-threatening complications from reflux. These conditions should be treated as soon as possible, and we believe those treatments should be affordable and reliable.
At the Tampa Bay Reflux Center, our front office is experienced in insurance negotiations and will work with you and your insurance company to get partial or full coverage of the procedures we offer.
If you or someone you know are looking for an acid reflux doctor that is experienced, accessible, and affordable, make sure to contact us or book an appointment. We have two of the most experienced foregut/esophageal surgeons in the southeastern United States.