Unlike many surgeons, Dr. McClung had a whole career as a reconstructive
urologist before specializing in gender affirming surgeries. He rebuilt
people's genitals for years from injuries and traumas resulting from
gunshot wounds, car accidents, radiation therapy, etc. He did a
fellowship in Seattle at the University of Washington specializing in
reconstructive urology. He worked for years at Ohio State University as a
professor/instructor and was the urologist on call for every trauma and
major injury requiring reconstruction. He has been performing gender
affirming surgeries since 2017 at Ohio Health here in Columbus, Ohio. In
2022 he opened his own private practice dedicated to only this type of
surgery. All this to say, he's very experienced in this field.

In general, yes. While we are not in network with any insurance companies, because of the lack of surgery providers in our area, many will offer us in network exceptions. And, most insurances cover bottom surgery. It is rare that an insurance plan will not cover any part of this surgery. Exceptions do occur, but this is not the norm. What we offer that is different from most surgeons is our in-house insurance experts who will negotiate with your insurance company on your behalf to make sure you are getting as much coverage as possible.

Furthermore, insurance plans generally do not charge you more just because you are getting bottom surgery. Usually, deductibles are the same as they are for any other surgery.

The insurances that we do not accept are all Medicare plans: Caresource, Molina, Buckeye, Paramount Advantage, United Healthcare Community Plan. In addition, we are not accepting Tri-Care and Medical Mutual.

We accept all forms of commercially available insurance (except Medical Mutual who are unwilling to negotiate with us at this time). This includes Aetna, Anthem, UHC, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and many more. We are not Medicare subscribers at this time. And we do not accept Tri-Care.

Our wait time is currently 6 months to a year for a new consult and about 6 months for bottom surgery after your first appointment. Lately, we have been inundated with new patient requests and our patient list is growing rapidly. Please get on the wait list if you’re interested. Our doors opened on January 1, 2023, and our waitlist is growing daily. Our staff can answer your questions about eligibility and the current wait times for bottom surgery, depending on the surgery (or surgeries) that you need and preparation requirements (such as laser hair removal).

Most large procedures are performed at Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Small, same day procedures are done at outpatient surgical centers in the Columbus metro area.

Yes but the limits are varied and change from person to person, depending on how you carry your weight. The reason for this is to minimize surgical complications and to improve outcomes. In general, we prefer your body mass index to be between 30-35. The exact weight requirement varies from individual to individual due to weight distribution on your body.

The short answer is yes.

The concept of letters of reference is a guideline for WPATH - an international organization who sets guidelines on gender affirming health. Insurances use the concept of letters as a requirement for surgical pre-certification. Although the newest guidelines (SOC 8) are only recommending one letter, we are finding that insurances are not aware of these new guidelines and most are still asking for 3 letters.

Dr. McClung utilizes a penile inversion vaginoplasty technique. He is not performing peritoneal flaps at this time.

Hair removal is required to full depth vaginoplasties and phalloplasties. The premise of this is to make certain no hair growth occurs in the vaginal canal (for a vaginoplasty) or the urethra (for a phalloplasty). We have no preference of laser hair removal or electrolysis, but we do offer laser hair removal at our Columbus, Ohio medical practice. For certain people, electrolysis is required. These are generally people with fair blond, light red, or white hair. For these hair colors, laser hair removal is often ineffective.

No. Hair removal is not required for this procedure.

There are a variety of factors that dictate the cost but most important is the individual’s insurance company. Each person’s surgery varies slightly so charges are different. We will work directly with your insurance company to agree on a cost and a payment before the surgery is approved working to make sure the patient’s cost is minimized.

Yes, of course. If you prefer to pay without insurance we will assess which surgery you need. Just talk to us about the cost at your appointment.

We do not provide gender-affirming care to minors at this time. Our staff can give you a referral to a provider in your area. There is no upper age limit for bottom surgery, this depends on your overall health and will be discussed at your consultation.