What to look for?

[NightWing]

I've finished my therapist to start HRT and I should be getting my letter either this week or next week (still trying to be patient about that). 

Anyway, I've been looking around for doctors, and I don't really know what to look for.  I know they don't specifically have to be endo's (I've heard they are generally more expensive anyway), but I'm not sure what to look for.  What questions do I ask when calling them up?  What makes specific ones "good" and "bad"?  By the time I'll be able to actually start all this, I won't have insurance so that's another factor.  I'm not really sure what to do here, so any help would be nice 

Also: I live in Wyoming and there's like, nothing available here in that area, so I'll probably be going to Colorado for this, so if anybody knows of any doctors in Colorado then throw me some names please 

Also also: I heard blood work is like $300?  I know it varies, but is that a correct rough estimate?

[xAndrewx]

I went about it by calling offices and saying "I am transgender, I have been diagnosed and gotten a letter from a psychologist, and now I want to know if any doctors in your office will treat a female to male transgender person to start testosterone." Many said no, some hung up, but a few said they would ask and when I finally got to a place that the secretary said yes I asked if I could speak with the doctor (you might have to leave your name and number) just to be sure that the doctor understood and would in fact treat me, because although the secretaries are intelligent I found around lunch time they seemed to just simply say yes or no whether they understood or not.

I just found an insurance directory (picked a random one since I don't have insurance) put in my zip code and started at the top of the list calling doctors on it.

Not sure on the bloodwork though good luck finding a doc

[Bahzi]

Well, there's this: 

http://www.t-vox.org/index.php?title=Physicians_in_the_United_States#Colorado

and also just calling around, as Andrew suggested.

As for blood work costs, there's really no way to know that without talking to the doctor/their staff.  Lab fees are different everywhere, as well as which tests your particular doctor will want to run.  My doctor plans to run blood work on me after 1 month on T, then every 3 months for a year.  My Pre-T blood work which checked hormone levels, liver, cholesterol, and a couple other things was $903, or would have been without insurance.  If you don't have insurance, I'd be asking doctors how often they plan to run blood work and what the lab fees for that usually run before making an appointment, especially if you're going to be traveling.

[Tad]

If you're following the Harry Benjamin Protocol the you can find lists of doctors that are members of the WPATH (and therefore treat trans).. it's how I found out that my doctor that i already had, is the only one in the whole region that openly deals with trans patients.

[NightWing]

If you're following the Harry Benjamin Protocol the you can find lists of doctors that are members of the WPATH (and therefore treat trans).. it's how I found out that my doctor that i already had, is the only one in the whole region that openly deals with trans patients.

I don't know that the Harry Benjamin Protocol is.  Care to explain? 

[Tad]

Harry benjamin Protocols are essentially what allow you to transition.. they are the world standards that define who is eligible for what, set out the time lines.. blah blah balh.. they are the protocols that say the 3 months of therapy or RLE. Esentially most doctors in North America are following these or are doing informed consent...