How to Find a Urologist Near You and What to Expect

What conditions does a urologist treat?

Urology covers a wide range of conditions across men, women, and children. The NIDDK identifies the most common urologic conditions as 1Ref 1National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2024).Urologic Diseases.Scope of conditions treated by urologists: UTIs, kidney stones, bladder control problems, prostate conditions, hematuria, erectile dysfunction, and bladder pain:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) — recurrent or complicated
• Kidney stones — affecting roughly 1 in 11 Americans over their lifetime
• Bladder problems — overactive bladder, incontinence, bladder cancer screening
• Prostate conditions — benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer screening and follow-up, prostatitis
• Male reproductive health — vasectomy, erectile dysfunction, male infertility evaluation
• Kidney cancer and bladder cancer
• Hematuria (blood in the urine) requiring evaluation

For a straightforward UTI without complications, a primary care provider can typically diagnose and treat it. Urology is the right step when symptoms are recurring, unexplained, or when a structural issue or cancer concern is on the table.

Do I need a referral to see a urologist?

It depends on your insurance. HMO plans require a referral from your primary care provider. PPO plans typically allow direct access. Even if your plan does not require one, a referral from your PCP is practically useful — they will have ordered the initial labs (urinalysis, PSA if relevant, kidney function) that the urologist will want to review at the first visit, saving you time and potentially a repeat lab draw.

How do I find a urologist who is accepting new patients?

The most reliable steps:

1. Check your insurance directory for in-network urologists in your area, then call to confirm they are taking new patients. Online directories are often not current. 2. Ask your PCP for a referral — their office typically has working relationships with specific urology groups and can help triage your wait based on urgency. 3. Large health system urology departments often have more capacity and sub-specialty depth (e.g., a urologic oncologist for cancer concerns, a female pelvic medicine specialist for incontinence). 4. Telehealth urology is growing and may allow an initial consultation for certain concerns (recurrent UTIs, post-vasectomy follow-up, medication management) with shorter waits.

What should I bring to my first urology appointment?

• A recent urinalysis result if one has been done
• Any imaging already performed (renal ultrasound, CT scan reports)
• A list of medications and supplements
• A description of symptoms with approximate start date and any patterns you have noticed (frequency, timing, associated pain)
• For prostate-related concerns: any recent PSA values
• For kidney stone history: prior stone analysis results if available

What does a urology visit cost without insurance?

A new-patient urology office visit typically runs $200–$500 self-pay. Procedures done in the office — cystoscopy, ultrasound, biopsy — are additional and vary by what is needed. Surgical procedures like kidney stone treatment or prostate procedures are priced separately and require a discussion with the billing department before scheduling.

Kidney stones, BPH, UTIs, and prostate and bladder cancers together account for the large majority of the estimated $11 billion annual cost of urologic disease care in the United States — underscoring the breadth of what urology manages 2Ref 2Barocas DA, Boorjian SA, Alvarez RD, et al. (2020).Microhematuria: AUA/SUFU Guideline.Blood in urine (hematuria) as a key indication for urology referral; risk-stratified evaluation approach used by urologists.