Choosing Your Doctor
I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss so you can get my views on this subject. I'm very opinionated on this matter. When choosing a doctor for your health care, what do you do? Health care has changed so much in the last two decades with the emergence of managed health care. That has also had it's effect on access to healthcare, sometimes presenting roadblocks to providers. Some suggestions for choosing a provider are as follows:
1. Ask your friends, family and co-workers for suggestions. I believe this is how the majority of patients choose a doctor.
2. Get referrals from hospitals that you would go to for health care. Most hospitals have a list of doctors who are credentialled at their facility. I would suggest you should inquire about the doctor's hospital affiliations. The doctor you choose may be very qualified, but perhaps practices at a hospital you would care not to go to.
3. Call local, state, and national medical and specialty societies for referrals. Many county medical societies have a referral center. The physicians on this referral list will be in good standings with the medical society.
4. On-line referrals from different websites can also be very useful. There are a growing number of these sites on the internet. My website has a link on the Home Page to one of these on-line referral services.
5. Check out your insurance provider book or on-line service for referrals. You might do this after you get a provider name to determine if this provider is on your insurance and not out of your network.
6. Get a referral from another doctor. I seem to do this service a lot in my practice. So, don't hesitate to ask me or my staff.
7. Check out the provider's credentials. I would suggest choosing a specialist or generalist who is board-certified or at least, board-eligible. Some physicians maintain a website that will offer more information about their education, training and interest.
8. Finally, one can always call the doctor's office and make further inquiries before scheduling an appointment. I hope this has been helpful. Doc
Oh, I forgot. There's always the Yellow Pages. Ha!
