{"id":40579,"date":"2026-01-15T20:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T02:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/?p=40579"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:54:39","slug":"seeing-a-specialist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing a Specialist"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

When you\u2019re not feeling well, you might call your primary care doctor. With a little care, your doctor may have you on the road to recovery in no time. But what if your health issue is more serious? Your primary care doctor may say you need to see a specialist.<\/p>

What Is a Specialist?<\/strong>
A specialist is a doctor who has additional education and clinical training in a specific field of medicine.<\/p>

Your doctor may decide that your health issue needs the opinion of a specialist to make sure you get the right diagnosis and treatment. You may also need to see a specialist for treatment after you\u2019ve been diagnosed. In some cases, you will see a specialist until your condition is under control. Afterward, your primary care doctor will provide ongoing care and management of your condition.<\/p>

Common Specialties<\/strong>
Some examples of health issues that need a specialist\u2019s care include:<\/p>

  • Arthritis and other joint conditions<\/li>
  • Stomach and digestive conditions<\/li>
  • Eye disorders<\/li>
  • Heart conditions<\/li>
  • Cancer<\/li>
  • High-risk pregnancy<\/li>
  • Mental health issues<\/li><\/ul>

    The type of specialist you see depends on the health concern. If you have a skin problem, your doctor may send you to a dermatologist. And if you have cancer, you\u2019ll most likely see an oncologist. There are several hundred medical specialties, including ones you may have heard about but will never need.<\/p>

    Why Not Start with a Specialist?<\/strong>
    Primary care doctors are trained to diagnose and treat many health problems. They also know when someone with special knowledge and training is needed for certain health issues. Unless you have the training of a doctor, you can\u2019t know if your symptoms need a specialist. For example, what you think is a heart problem may be a reflux issue.<\/p>

    Another good reason?<\/strong>
    Specialists cost you more. Most health plans have you pay a higher copay to see a specialist. Since they charge more, the amount you pay in coinsurance (if you have it) may be more, too. If you haven\u2019t met your deductible yet, you could be paying a lot of out-of-pocket charges you may not have needed to pay if you saw a primary care doctor first.<\/p>

    And depending on the type of plan you have, you may need to get a referral to see a specialist for the visit to be covered by your plan. If you don\u2019t have an approved referral for the visit and one is required, you will have to pay for all of the cost of your care.<\/p>

    Your doctor has experience working with many specialists and can help you find the best one for you.<\/p>

    Do You Need a Referral?<\/strong>
    HMO plans and some other health plans require a referral from your primary care doctor or medical group or prior authorization from your health plan. If your plan requires a referral, going to see a specialist, in or out of network, without an approved referral may mean that you\u2019ll have to pay for all of the cost of your care. Talk to your doctor or call the customer service number on your member ID card if you aren\u2019t sure what you need to do.<\/p>

    What\u2019s Next?<\/strong>
    Your primary doctor can help you through the process of seeing a specialist. Your doctor\u2019s office can provide a referral if you need one.<\/p>

    And your doctor\u2019s office can check to make sure the recommended specialist is in your network. It doesn’t hurt for you to confirm it, too. Seeing providers in your plan\u2019s network helps you get the most from your benefits. Your out-of-pocket costs may be lower when you see network providers. In some cases, you may have to pay the whole bill if you see an out-of-network specialist.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When you\u2019re not feeling well, you might call your primary care doctor. With a little care, your doctor may have you on the road to recovery in no time. But what if your health issue is more serious? Your primary care doctor may say you need to see a specialist. What Is a Specialist?A specialist…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1971,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-benefits-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSeeing a Specialist - Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seeing a Specialist - Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you\u2019re not feeling well, you might call your primary care doctor. With a little care, your doctor may have you on the road to recovery in no time. But what if your health issue is more serious? Your primary care doctor may say you need to see a specialist. What Is a Specialist?A specialist...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tamusystem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Estela Felan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@tamusystem\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@tamusystem\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Estela Felan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Estela Felan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d875846e2a8e7eaeb3e5f2925c191e2a\"},\"headline\":\"Seeing a Specialist\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":630,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Benefits\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/\",\"name\":\"Seeing a Specialist - Benefits\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/seeing-a-specialist\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Regents Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Benefits\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/category\\\/benefits-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Seeing a Specialist\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/\",\"name\":\"Benefits\",\"description\":\"The Texas A&M University System Network\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Texas A&M University System\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/146\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/TAMUS-WhiteSeal.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/146\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/TAMUS-WhiteSeal.png\",\"width\":700,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"The Texas A&M University System\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/tamusystem\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/tamusystem\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d875846e2a8e7eaeb3e5f2925c191e2a\",\"name\":\"Estela Felan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/wp-content\\\/wphb-cache\\\/gravatar\\\/61b\\\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/wp-content\\\/wphb-cache\\\/gravatar\\\/61b\\\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/wp-content\\\/wphb-cache\\\/gravatar\\\/61b\\\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Estela Felan\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tamus.edu\\\/benefits\\\/author\\\/efeagin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Seeing a Specialist - Benefits","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Seeing a Specialist - Benefits","og_description":"When you\u2019re not feeling well, you might call your primary care doctor. With a little care, your doctor may have you on the road to recovery in no time. But what if your health issue is more serious? Your primary care doctor may say you need to see a specialist. What Is a Specialist?A specialist...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/","og_site_name":"Benefits","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tamusystem","article_published_time":"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00","author":"Estela Felan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@tamusystem","twitter_site":"@tamusystem","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Estela Felan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/"},"author":{"name":"Estela Felan","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#\/schema\/person\/d875846e2a8e7eaeb3e5f2925c191e2a"},"headline":"Seeing a Specialist","datePublished":"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/"},"wordCount":630,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Benefits"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/","url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/","name":"Seeing a Specialist - Benefits","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-16T02:36:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-10T15:54:39+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/seeing-a-specialist\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Regents Home","item":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Benefits","item":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/category\/benefits-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Seeing a Specialist"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/","name":"Benefits","description":"The Texas A&M University System Network","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#organization","name":"The Texas A&M University System","url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/02\/TAMUS-WhiteSeal.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/02\/TAMUS-WhiteSeal.png","width":700,"height":700,"caption":"The Texas A&M University System"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tamusystem","https:\/\/x.com\/tamusystem"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/#\/schema\/person\/d875846e2a8e7eaeb3e5f2925c191e2a","name":"Estela Felan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/61b\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/61b\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/61b\/61b248f9592d7634133e184f6d0c6d16x96.jpg","caption":"Estela Felan"},"url":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/author\/efeagin\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":5,"label":"Benefits"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Estela Felan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/author\/efeagin\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":5,"name":"Benefits","slug":"benefits-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":18,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":16,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":5,"category_count":16,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Benefits","category_nicename":"benefits-news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40579\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}