General Practitioners

• Pediatric Care
  Dr. Thomas Oliver, who started Urology Group of Athens as Oliver Urology in 1995, followed his heart to medical school and chose the field of urology because it enabled him to incorporate all aspects of his training that he enjoyed most: surgery, pediatrics, radiology, and internal medicine.
• Family Practice
  Stephanie is a veteran nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of experience as a skilled clinician. Stephanie’s family health history led her to pursue her passion of helping others, and is dedicated to serving her patients and her community.
• Erectile Dysfunction

Internists

• Internal Medicine
• Bladder Cancer
  The most common symptom of bladder cancer is hematuria (blood in the urine) which can be either seen by the patient or just seen under the microscope. If you have been told you have blood in the urine, it may be appropriate for you to be screened for bladder cancer with a cystoscopy. We can do our cystoscopies either awake or under conscious sedation - your choice and we will do everything in our power to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
• Urology
  Urology is a healthcare specialty that focuses on the urinary systems of males and females. Urology also treats the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological disorders.
• Kidney Stones
  Everyone in our office knows that stones are painful! When you are passing a stone, we will bring you in quickly so that we can get a treatment plan going. We offer the full range of minimally invasive surgical options in our surgery center including ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy and external shock wave lithotripsy. For larger or more complex stones we may have to access your stones through a small incision and this can be done at the hospital.
• Prostate Cancer
  If prostate cancer is diagnosed, we have 10 years of experience with the most advanced surgical treatment of prostate cancer - robotic radical prostatectomy - and we also use other gold standard techniques for management including: radiation seed placement and external beam radiation. If prostate cancer becomes, or is already advanced, there are many new and very promising treatment options that are available in our clinic, including immunotherapy.
• Cancer Care
  Our nurse practitioners are trained to diagnose and manage urologic conditions, and work as a team to manage patient care, prescribe medications, and set up treatment plans, including surgery or appropriate diagnostic testing. Our nurse practitioners are crucial to the treatment of many of our acute conditions, including stones and urinary tract infections, and are essential to the long-term management of many urological conditions, including cancer care. Therefore you will see our nurse practitioners routinely in your follow up care, pre-operative visits, and post-operative visits. They will also be someone you see if you are in the hospital for our care. We love our nurse practitioners and hope that you will also.

Radiologist

• MRI
  Our goal to offer a personalized approach to both the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. We have the the latest in advanced diagnostic testing for prostate cancer including MRI guided prostate biopsies and offer sedation for all of our prostate biopsies.
• Radiology
• Chemotherapy
  We offer all standard of care bladder cancer treatments for localized bladder cancer and these are administered in our treatment center – a private separate area just for patients that are undergoing testing or treatments. If your bladder cancer is more advanced and needs an oncologist, we work closely with our local oncologists that have the most updated medical management for advanced bladder cancer including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Our goal is to provide you with the most advanced treatments in the most comfortable and efficient manner possible.

Surgeons

• General Surgery
  Dr. Blankenship has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia and a Medical Doctorate degree from Medical College of Georgia. He served residencies in general surgery and urology at University of Tennessee and is American Board of Urology board certified.
• Vasectomy
  Vasectomy is a quick and low risk option for couples seeking permanent sterility. We offer the latest in vasectomy techniques including the no scalpel technique, and every patient can opt for conscious sedation, making the vasectomy a much more comfortable experience.
• Robotic Surgery
  Dr. Blankenship is on the medical staffs of Piedmont Athens Regional and Saint Mary’s Hospital in Athens and can perform surgeries in these facilities. He has strong local roots and operates “high-touch, high-tech” with some of the most unique leading-edge technology in the state, and is board certified in robotic surgery procedures.

Plastic Surgeons

• Botox
  Men and women can suffer from an overactive bladder. Medication is often effective, but if medications are not working or if they are not tolerated, there are other more advanced options including Interstim (neuromodulation) and Botox of the bladder. We have a longstanding experience with these options and will work with you and your goals of treatment to create a customized treatment approach for your bladder and your life.

Physical Therapists

• Physical Therapy
  Treatment can include a wide range of options including slings, pelvic floor physical therapy, medications, Botox, neuromodulation, and prostate procedures (both in the office and surgical setting). The majority of the incontinence treatments - including slings - can be performed either in our office or in our state-of-the-art, highly-rated surgery center.