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A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness. As a result, I have had to see many many doctors especially on route to my official diagnosis. Before my diagnosis, I was a once a year type of person, if that, in regards to dealing with doctors, so I felt like whomever was there, was probably going to be fine, but now that I'm older and wiser and have essentially had to take charge of my health, anything is definitely NOT fine! It was actually through watching my mother have to deal with the tons of doctors that were treating my grandfather before he died, who really helped me to understand that in many cases, it will be you vs. the system and that a good doctor can often times make all the difference in your care vs. someone who just sort of kind of has to be there and is just going through patients before they get to go home.
1. Phone a friend
Most of the time, you are not the first person on the planet to need a doctor for xyz. If you have an issue or are just looking to switch doctors, ask your family and friends for good recommendations. A lot of people have a favorite for a reason, and that is usually because that doctor goes above and beyond and/or is extremely knowledgeable in their specialty.
2. Do online research
Like just about everything these days, even doctors have online reviews. Even the hospitals themselves often will place or link the reviews for each doctor on their website. I would advise you do research independently of the hospital/clinic website, and go into the broader web so that you can get more potentially unbiased opinions of your prospective doctor.
3. Don't let the lab coat fool you
Just because someone has gone through school and has a couple of degrees, does not make them a good doctor. It simply makes them legally qualified. If you go for an appointment, do you feel really uncomfortable? Does the doctor look you in the eyes when s/he is talking to you, does s/he listen to you instead of interrupting or trying to speed up the appointment, are they outright dismissive of your concerns, do they wave off your questions, do they not fully explain whatever it is they are explaining whether that be an upcoming procedure, medication and side effects, or other health concern? If so, abort immediately. Odds are these things are not going to improve dramatically with future visits. You have to remember, this too, is a service, one that you are paying a lot of money for...too much often times, not to at the very least receive excellent care and treatment.
4. Is your doctor available to help outside of regular hours
Medical issues do not always happen neatly between the hours of 8am-6pm. Can you call and/or email someone in the office, and more specifically your own doctor AND get a reasonably timed response if you have an issue.
5. Is the staff equally on par with your doctor
Often times it is the nurses and waitstaff that you will interact with first and who will make the first impression. Do they seem to care as much as your doctor or are at least knowledgeable and helpful in the routine tasks they do? When you approach about scheduling next appointments, are they efficient and friendly about it. Everyone can have a bad day, but if you've been a few times, and every time the staff seems nasty or inept at what they do, you might want to consider going somewhere else especially if you need more frequent routine care and appointments.
6. Is your personal information available and safe
Confidentially is a huge issue in the medical profession. Your business with your health is between you and your doctor. When your personal information is taken are efforts made to safe guard it? Do you see patient files just lying around or clearly visible to anybody that just happens to walk by? Do you hear doctors and nurses discussing patient and patient issues in an unprofessional way out in the open or negatively? Do you have access 24/7 to your medical records digitally? Is that password protected and encrypted?
7. Check for Malpractice
No doctor is going to advertise that they've been sued for malpractice before, so it will be up to you to do more research to find out if and why that is the case, and if you are comfortable with what you find out, because you may find yourself someday in the same position. You can find this information out by looking at your states medical boards and other sources for finding this info.
8. Does your insurance cover it
You do want to make sure that your doctor is covered on your insurance plan, even if that means you will have to switch. A good or great doctor is more than worth it. Also check to make sure any potential medications and procedures are covered on your plan, and that you are able to get generic drugs on your plan vs. going to a doctor who must rep certain pharmaceuticals even if they cost you an arm and a leg over the generic.
Some helpful resources on checking out your potential doctor are:
AMA DoctorFinder. Basic information on more than 814,000 physicians in the U.S. You get information on specialty training, board certification, and more. But there is no information on patient outcomes, disciplinary actions, or communication skills.
AngiesList.com. User reviews on an A through F scale, sometimes based on a limited number of responses, for categories such as availability, punctuality, staff friendliness, and effectiveness of treatment. Requires an annual membership fee ranging from $3.50 to $10, depending on services you select.
Castle Connolly. Ratings of “top doctors” based on peer nominations, research, screening, and other factors. Search by name, location, hospital, specialty, or insurance.
Healthgrades.com. Comprehensive, easy-to-use site that allows searches by name, procedure, specialty, or condition. Includes info on education, affiliated hospitals (and ratings on the hospital itself), sanctions, malpractice claims and board actions, office locations, and insurance plans. Ratings on topics such as patient satisfaction and wait time are based on patient feedback, which can be limited.
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