If this is helpful to anyone trying to decide on a BC surgeon - I didn’t know any BC surgeons, and just went to the suggested breast surgeon at the best hospital I could find. And had good outcomes. So if you don’t know anyone, don’t worry too much.

When I was diagnosed I considered whether I wanted to be treated locally, near Austin, or drive to Houston to MD Anderson, 3 1/2 hours away. I asked everyone I knew for a surgeon recommendation at MD Anderson, but although people could recommend cancer doctors there, no one had seen a BC surgeon.
The local hospital had one breast cancer surgeon. The local radiologist thought the anomaly on my diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound was probably a lymph node and recommended I return for a follow up mammogram in 6 months. My PCP thought I might want to see a specialist, and it was decided to do a biopsy - that showed an intermediate grade DCIS. The experience I had with the local hospital services pushed me towards going to MD Anderson.

So I went on MD Anderson’s website and “requested” to be a patient. Within days they had started collecting my prior mammogram scans and planning my first visit. They assigned all my doctors to me (oncology surgeon, medical oncologist, radiologist, plastic surgeon). The whole process was efficient and they directed me through each step I needed to take. I think I was on auto-pilot at that point.

I would not have been as comfortable going to an unknown doctor at my local hospital, but I thought that MD Anderson standards were high enough to just go with it. If you’re considering Mayo Clinic, their reputation is great, too.