The types of doctors who treat you can depend on a variety of factors, including:

• Your diagnosis
• The recommended treatment
• The office or hospital you visit
• Where you live
• Your insurance

General practitioner – This doctor provides care for people of all ages and for a variety of medical conditions. The general practitioner may refer to appropriate specialists.

Internist – An internist is a doctor of internal medicine who focuses on adult medicine and has had special study and training focusing on the prevention and treatment of adult diseases.

Cardiologist – A cardiologist is a doctor with special training and skill in finding, treating and preventing diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Electrophysiologist – This is a cardiologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating heart rhythms caused by problems with the heart’s electrical system.

General surgeon – This is a doctor who treats a variety of conditions with surgery.

Cardiac surgeon – This is a surgeon who performs cardiac surgery—operative procedures on the heart.

Interventional cardiologist – This doctor belongs to a subspecialty of cardiology and specializes in catheter-based treatment of coronary artery diseases. From outside the body, they insert various small instruments or tools, such as catheters or wires, using X-ray and other imaging techniques.

Interventional radiologist – An interventional radiologist specializes in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. From outside the body, they insert various small instruments or tools, such as catheters or wires, using X-ray and other imaging techniques. Interventional radiology can be an alternative to surgical treatment.