How Do I Find a Gastroenterologist Specializing in Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes blisters or sores to develop in the digestive tract, according to the National Library of Medicine. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloody bowel movements, weight loss, lack of appetite and anemia. All gastroenterologists---doctors trained to treat problems of the digestive system---have the knowledge and skills to treat ulcerative colitis; there is no need to find a subspecialist doctor since all gastroenterologists can treat the disease. There are four main ways to find a gastroenterologist to help treat ulcerative colitis.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask your family doctor. Your family doctor can refer you to a nearby gastroenterologist if you are suffering from a case of ulcerative colitis. Because your doctor is familiar with your medical history and the circumstances of your disease, he can appropriately tailor his referral to a specialist to make sure you find a gastroenterologist who fits your needs.

• 2

  Search through professional resources. Professional groups like the American Gastroenterological Association, the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Medical Association all offer online tools to help you find a gastroenterologist in your community. These tools allow you to search by city, state or ZIP code; the AMA tool allows you to tailor your search to only gastroenterologists. Search results yield full contact information for nearby gastroenterologists so you can make an appointment to get treatment for your ulcerative colitis.

• 3

  Check with patient advocacy groups. Nonprofit advocacy groups that help patients with particular diseases frequently offer tools to find doctors that treat that disease. For example, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America provides an online tool to help you find a gastroenterologist in your community. Search by city, state or ZIP code; you may also print out the foundation's full directory of member physicians with full contact information. You may also call the foundation at 800-932-2423 for assistance in finding a local gastroenterologist.

• 4

  Contact your health insurance provider. Health insurance plans maintain directories of specialists---like gastroenterologists---who accept your health insurance, and they usually provide searchable lists or tools on their corporate web sites to help you find a nearby in-network provider. You may also call the customer service telephone number found on your insurance card for assistance in finding a gastroenterologist nearby.