Your family practitioner, internist, or pediatrician is a good source of referral. Establishment of a liaison between your podiatrist and physician benefits you by assuring ready consultation. Sending you to an incompetent doctor would reflect poorly on your physician, so he is putting himself on the line when he refers you to another specialist and you can feel reasonably secure with his choice. Hospital referral . Your local hospital can refer you to a podiatrist who holds staff privileges.
Hospitals tend to be very selective in their choice of staff.
Hospital affiliation adds to a podiatrist's credentials, even if he does most of his surgery in the office. Board certifications . This can be confusing. Some certifications are meaningful and some are not. The credentials of any podiatrist who lists this title are suspect.