Leading Expert in Reconstructive Urology Now Focused on Transgender Surgery
Dr. Richard Santucci, MD, FACS is an expert in Reconstructive Urology who has devoted his career to transgender surgery after spending 18 years as one of the nation’s most distinguished academic Reconstructive Urologists. Dr. Santucci served as the Director of the Center for Urologic Reconstruction and the Specialist-in-Chief for Urology at the 9-hospital Detroit Medical Center, and as a full clinical professor at the Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Santucci joined the practice of Dr. Curtis Crane in January 2018, working out of the Austin location of the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery. Dr. Santucci’s deep experience with complex genitourinary surgery uniquely positions him to excel at the most technically challenging gender affirming procedures, such as Phalloplasty and Vaginoplasty.
Dr. Santucci obtained his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX and completed his residency at University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA. He’s one of the few fellowship-trained Reconstructive Urologists in the United States. Dr. Santucci is the author of more than 100 scientific articles, abstracts and book chapters, and has served on the editorial boards of more than twelve journals. He is the co-editor of the texts Emergencies in Urology, The Atlas of Urethroplasty, and Penile Reconstructive Surgery. He is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the online open-access Urology journal, Advances in Urology. Dr. Santucci regularly presents at national and international conferences, and has trained other urologists in complex urethral reconstruction procedures. In fact, he trained both Dr. Curtis Crane and Dr. Mang Chen in the art of Reconstructive Urology. He has a keen interest in surgical education, and has been active in lecturing and demonstrating surgeries at training centers in the United States, Europe, South America and Africa.
“I spent 18 years in the reconstructive urology space, and it could not have been more interesting and surgically fulfilling. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a whole “Mount Everest” of reconstructive urology problems—transgender surgery. My wife and I made the hard decision to switch practices, switch cities, and go down to Austin, TX. Most people don’t know that Austin is the home of one of the busiest transgender practices in the world. I was fortunate to fit into their hiring needs, they trained me up, and now I’m a full-time transgender surgeon.” — Dr. Richard Santucci, May 2019
Dr. Santucci is board-certified by the American Board of Urology, and is a member of the American Urological Association and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Santucci is a frequent presenter at transgender conferences in the United States and has co-authored many peer-reviewed academic papers on Gender Surgery.
Dr. Santucci performs the following Gender Affirming Surgery procedures:
- Metoidioplasty: Simple or Full
- Phalloplasty: RFF, ALT and MLDReconstructive
- Urology: Fistula & Stricture Repair
- Orchiectomy
- Vulvoplasty
- Vaginoplasty – Penile Inversion
- Reconstructive Urology: Fistula & Stricture Repair
Dr. Santucci operates at Arise Austin Medical Center and Westlake Hills Surgery Center, both in Austin, Texas.
“It sure was an incredible journey to be a patient at Crane Center (Austin, TX). Every visit was a celebration, pre-op or post-op, Phase I – III. Dr. Santucci – truly an anatomical artist.” – Kinuson S.
Surgery Requirements
Dr. Santucci follows WPATH guidelines for surgery:
- You will need to provide two referrals from qualified mental health professionals.
- A letter from your hormone specialist stating you have been on 12 months of continuous hormones for genital procedures, unless clinically contraindicated.
- 18+ years of age.
Financing & Insurance
Dr. Santucci accepts credit/debit cards, cashier’s check, money order, wire transfer and medical financing via CareCredit. He also 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.
Booking a Consultation
Dr. Santucci is available for phone or in-person consultations in Austin. If insurance is out-of-network, then the cost of the consultation is $200. If in-network, the consultation fee is the specialist co-pay. An in-person consultation is not required for booking a surgery date. Contact Dr. Santucci’s office to book your consult and you’ll hear back with more details.
Current wait list: 4-6 weeks for a consultation, 5-6 weeks for a surgery date (after all requirements, such as letters and hair removal, are met.)