Metoidioplasty Surgery » Surgeons
Dr. Richard Santucci
Urology Expert Specializing in Metoidioplasty
Dr. Richard Santucci, MD, FACS is a respected Reconstructive Urologist who now specializes exclusively in transgender surgery after a successful career in academia. Dr. Santucci's many years of experience with complex urological surgery uniquely qualifies him as a Metoidioplasty surgeon.
Dr. Santucci is board-certified by the American Board of Urology, and is a member of the American Urological Association. He is one of the few fellowship-trained Reconstructive Urologists in the United States. Dr. Santucci has trained other urologists in Reconstructive Urology, including Dr. Curtis Crane and Dr. Mang Chen. He joined the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in January 2018 and works out of the Austin location.
Experience:
- Director of the Center for Urologic Reconstruction, Detroit Medical Center
- Specialist-in-Chief for Urology, Detroit Medical Center
- Clinical professor, Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine
Metoidioplasty in Austin, Texas
Dr. Santucci offers a few different variations of Metoidioplasty. Choose from a Simple Release or Full Metoidioplasty, or custom design your Meta to include any combination of: Vaginectomy, Urethral Lengthening, and Scrotoplasty. Testicular implants can be placed 9 months after the initial Metoidioplasty surgery. (For a larger scrotum, tissue expanders can be put in first.)
Dr. Santucci operates at Arise Austin Medical Center and Westlake Hills Surgery Center, both in Austin, Texas.
Metoidioplasty is an outpatient procedure, with an optional one-night hospital stay (extra fees apply.) Patients should plan to stay in Austin for approximately two weeks following surgery.
Surgery Requirements
Dr. Santucci follows WPATH guidelines for surgery. This means that you will need two referral letters from qualified mental health professionals, and a letter from your hormone provider stating you have been on 12 months of continuous hormones, unless clinically contraindicated. Additionally, patients must be 18+ years of age.
Financing & Insurance
Dr. Santucci accepts insurance and is in-network with Cigna PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Commercial United Healthcare PPO and Employer Health Network (Whole Foods). He has also had success billing as an out-of-network provider with Aetna, Group Health, Harvard Pilgrim, HealthPartners and Medica.
Dr. Santucci does not work with the following insurance providers: Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care, Kaiser, Ambetter and Oscar Health.
Dr. Santucci also accepts credit/debit cards, cashier's check, money order, wire transfer and medical financing via CareCredit.
Booking a Consultation
Dr. Santucci is available for phone consultations and in-person consultations in Austin. The cost of the consultation is $200 if Dr. Santucci is out-of-network with your insurance. If in-network, the consultation fee is the same as the specialist co-pay. An in-person consultation is not required for booking a surgery date.
Current wait list: 4-6 weeks for a consultation; 5-6 weeks for a surgery date following your consultation.
More information about Dr. Richard Santucci »