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It’s official: you need surgery and have no idea where to start looking for a surgeon who is not only approved by your health insurance but also located within a reasonable distance from your home.

If that isn’t already overwhelming enough, just because a medical professional has a license to practice medicine doesn’t mean he or she is board-certified in his or her specialty or has permission to provide treatment at a hospital in your community. Adding to this uncertainty, it’s also hard to know if a surgeon has a successful track record in the cases they’ve performed.

In the United States, a medical license is the minimum requirement for diagnosing and treating patients. All physicians and medical specialists in the U.S. must be licensed to practice medicine by their state’s licensing board.

While each state’s specific licensing requirements may vary, in general, doctors are required to successfully pass certain exams and demonstrate compliance with the medical licensing authority’s rules, regulations and conduct/ethical standards. Again, this is the standard minimum to practice medicine.

But a medical license does not mean the doctor is board-certified in a particular medical specialty, such as orthopedic surgery.

Much like your best-of-the-best professionals in any field, the top surgeons in every specialty have robust career track records that exceed the bare minimum, including board certifications, residency and fellowship training, research and publications, professional references, and more. As an individual, you don’t have the time nor the access to the resources for investigating and verifying the credentials of every one of your potential doctors.

The great news is, you don’t have to: all Lantern members automatically have access to our nationwide network of highly qualified and carefully selected medical professionals designed to ensure high-quality care. We do this by only accepting doctors who meet our exceptional credentialing standards, which include the following:

  • Board Certification in his/her specialty/specialties
  • Specialty Training Requirement
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Surgeon-to-Surgeon Reviews
  • State Sanctions Check
  • Medical Malpractice Claims Review
  • Background Review
  • Quality Scores
  • Monthly Network Monitoring

Member health is our gold standard

“A physician only becomes a Lantern provider by meeting our rigorous quality standards, which are not like the typical carriers’ standards,” explained Rachel Vanlandingham, Lantern’s VP of Member Services, Specialty Operations. “We spend time educating our members on how we add providers, including providing education on what board certification, licensing, fellowship training or state sanctions mean for them and their care.

“We make sure they know what is important for them to know for the best surgical care,” Vanlandingham said. “Highly qualified and carefully selected surgeons are chosen not only for their expertise, but also their bedside manner. This combination results in our complication and readmission rates being under 1% — well below the national average.”

Lantern delivers the care and support members deserve

In addition to thousands of surgeons who are the best in their fields, our high-performance network is continually growing to find the best care for you, as close as possible to home. With hundreds of facilities to choose from, the Lantern network is designed to be easily accessed. If the best surgical care is not close by, it can be reached within a reasonable car ride — often just under 65 miles. If lengthier travel is necessary, Lantern covers any travel expenses to make sure you get the care you need.

“Our network is built with the member’s care as our top priority,” Vanlandingham said. “Our personal Care Advocates hand-select three surgeons for a member’s consideration. The member then selects the surgeon that’s right for them. The choice is up to the member — we just make it more accessible.”

To learn more about your Lantern benefits, contact us via one of the methods below to discuss your planned surgery needs with a Care Advocate. Our Care Advocates work with you throughout the entire process and manage the details of your treatment plan, including identifying top-rated surgeons, scheduling appointments, transferring medical records, and arranging travel. The choice of a top-rated surgeon is in your hands — Lantern just simply makes it easier to access!