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How To Choose A Doctor Who's Right For You

Tips for patients and some of the questions they should ask

Dec 26, 2008 Scott Rupp

Finding a doctor may seem easy with the number of tools available, but few people actually know how to find a doctor that's right for them.

There are several things patients need to keep in mind as a they look into scheduling an appointment with a doctor.

There are several questions people should ask as they consider who is going to be managing their healthcare, and the first is whether you need a primary care or a specialty doctor, writes Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. in an article for AARP addressing the subject.

“Finding a physician who provides high-quality care and who meets your needs isn’t -- and shouldn’t be -- a snap decision,” said Clancy. “Finding a doctor who can communicate and is willing to partner with you in decisions about your health can be hard work, but it is worth the effort.”

A primary care physician, or PHP, is a doctor who diagnoses and treats a wide range of common illnesses and conditions. Primary care doctors also provide patient education, offer advice on preventing disease and coordinate care if a specialist is needed. Primary care doctors may be certified, which means that they have special skills in different areas, such as family or internal medicine, however, they tend to have heavy workloads and getting an appointment with one can be difficult.

A specialty doctor, or specialist, has advanced training in an area of medicine focusing on a particular disease, condition or procedure. Specialists are typically known for their fields of study including allergists, cardiologists and surgeons.

Prior to making an appointment with a doctor, people need to check with their insurance carrier to see if the physician is covered as an “in-network provider” in which case the patient will pay less for the visit with the doctor.

Another important tip, according to Clancy, is to check whether the doctor of choice is in good standing with state agencies that grant medical licenses to physicians; a valuable tool for this is DocFinder.

If the doctor is good standing with the governing bodies, there are other things to consider:

Does the doctor clearly answer patient’s questions? If there is not enough time to answer questions during the appointment, find out if the office will contact patients after the visit, Clancy suggests, or ask whether there is a good time to call with any follow-up questions.
Does the doctor use a hospital whose location and quality the patient feels comfortable with, in the event hospital care is required?
Does the doctor perform routine X-rays and lab services in the office? If not, patients may need to travel to a different location for services.
Does the doctor handle insurance claims at the office? If not, patients may have to pay for services upfront and file the claims on their own.

In addition, patients should make an appointment to meet with the doctor. Patients do not have to agree to an exam or medical tests during this first visit. Patients may want to interview several healthcare providers as if they were interviewing for a job and “hire” the best candidate.

Reference:

“Finding Your Way: How to Choose the Doctor Who’s Right for You,” By Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., AHRQ, AARP Bulletin Today, July 16, 2008.

The copyright of the article How To Choose A Doctor Who's Right For You in General Medicine is owned by Scott Rupp. Permission to republish How To Choose A Doctor Who's Right For You in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.