How to choose a new physician( when you are at an age all docs look like Doogie Houser MD)
I have been without a primary physician (I think they used to be called General Practitioners..) for about 7 years. I am not bragging. This is NOT a good thing. My doctor left her practice and I didn’t bother to find another. I seldom was sick and when I was it was usually minor and I could wait it out. My one on-going health problem was being treated by a specialist a couple times a year so I was in no hurry to pick a new primary care doctor. Just when I got serious about finding one, knowing at my age I probably needed a routine physical at least every couple of years, I moved. I not only moved but I moved to a city where I knew no one in the medical community ! So I have now put it off another 3 years.
A situation arose a little over a year ago that necessitated a trip to Urgent Care. Without a primary physician I didn’t have a choice. It was a vision problem and symptomatic of the beginnings of a detached retina. I value my eye sight so decided I needed some medical evaluation. It was an expensive lesson. It was a $3500 lesson – a diagnosis of something age related and non-life threatening that a family doctor could have advised me on for the cost of an office visit.
Time to get serious about finding a physician. I noticed, however, during my mother’s last hospitalization there were a lot of people appearing not much older than my grandson (9) wearing lab coats with DR written on the pocket. Must have been” Bring your kid to work day”. No, the reality is doctors my age are retiring or teaching or have become specialized in something I don’t need. My son’s doctor was a elementary school classmate of his. Good for him but not my comfort level. And this is important.
I read recently that most people spend more time researching the next car or TV they are going to purchase than the doctor they are going to trust with their health. I think there are several reasons for this. 1) There is no Consumer’s Report magazine for rating doctors
2) We know what we are looking for in a car but haven’t really given much thought to what we want in a doctor other than someone who can fix us when we’re broken. 3) While we might dream about the new car we are going to buy for 6 months or a year we don’t give a lot of thought to picking out a doctor until we are sick and need one NOW. 4) There is the common thought that all doctors are pretty much the same – they all go to med school, graduate, study some more in an internship and residency then go out and start taking care of patients – They are all called DR. – right? It would be a lot easier if they were classified as Dr. Porsche, Dr. Jaguar, Dr. Volkswagen Jetta, Dr. Lexus, Dr. Prius, Dr. Yugo right up front on their lab coats so we could know what we are buying. but they aren’t. You have to do some homework.
Where do you even start to look for a doctor?
1. Ask friends or relatives if they have a recommendation.
Do they like their physician and if so why?
2. Ask another physician for a recommendation. If you see a specialist, for instance your eye doctor, gynecologist, dermatologist, ask them who they would recommend.
3. Call the local hospital. They will have a list they can give you.
4. Check with your insurer. They will have a preferred provider book that can give you a list of doctors they cover.
5. The web. Do a google search or go to Ask.com. Type in the type of doctor you are looking for and your location. This should provide a list that you can then review. Healthgrades.com will give you even more information – any board action against that physician, reviews by patients, if they are accepting new patients, etc.
When and Where do you begin? No better time than right NOW. If you don’t have a primary doctor, if your doctor is heading toward retirement, if you are moving, OR if you are dissatisfied with your current doctor (that is a whole other blog !), start making some lists.. The web is a great resource that we will discuss in more depth but first you need to figure out the things that are most important to you in the physician/physician’s practice you choose.
You need to know what you are looking for. What is most important to you?
Here is a list of 10 things that are on the “most important”list. You have to
decide where each of these things rank in importance.
1. Does he treat you with respect?
2. Does he listen to you?
3. Does he encourage questions? Ask questions?
4.Does he explains things clearly so you understand?
5. What is the length of appointment (how many patients is he expected to see in
1 hour?
This is a valid concern as some doctors in hospital owned practices are given
a quota of patients they will see each hour -known as “productivity”. I
switched doctors several years ago when my doctor was required to see
8 patients an hour – that is less than 8 min. with each patient! And in those
8 min. he was also expected to dictate or type his notes of the visit……. This
is NOT quality care and how misdiagnosis’s are made/ things are missed.
6. Is there a lab and X-ray facility in the office?
7. What is the cancellation policy?
8. Do they have appointments set aside each day that are NOT scheduled – left
open for add ons so you can get in if you suddenly get sick and need an
appointment. How long is the average wait to get an appointment? One of the
doctors I called on my list of perspective docs couldn’t see a new patient for two
months. While I’ve waited 7 years to find a doc a two month wait tells me she
has more patients now than she can comfortably manage.
9. Is this doctor covered under your medical insurance plan?
10. If you have a known medical condition is it something this physician can treat?
Some of these things you can get answered by a phone call to the doctor’s office. Other things – the first 4 items on the list – you will only know after meeting with the doctor. THIS IS IMPORTANT – Does the doctor you are considering allow ” get to know you” visits or interview visits. If they don’t look elsewhere. When you are sick is NOT the time to realize that you really don’t like the doctor’s manner, way of talking to you, or that you can’t understand what he is saying. Call the office and ask for a consultation visit. Make a list of questions so you are prepared for the visit. Your relationship with your physician needs to be a partnership, not a one way monologue.
What kind of questions should you be prepared to ask in the interview?
Where did they train?
Who covers for them when they are out of town
Are they Board Certified?
If you are hospitalized will you be seen by that doctor or a hospital doctor (hospitalist)?
Does he have privileges to practice at your preferred hospital?
Does he encourage preventative medicine?
Will you be seen by the doctor, a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant for your visits
Is he active in the community? Awards? Volunteer at a free health clinic?
How long has he/she been in practice?
Is he open to alternative therapies, holistic medicine, acupuncture, acupressure?
TAKE NOTES ! Listen. Question. Do a “gut check”.
After the visit review your notes.
* Did you feel comfortable with the doctor?
* Was the office staff courteous/pleasant?
*Did the doctor spend enough time with you?
*Did he/she answer your questions?
*Did he ask YOU questions?
*Did his answers meet the needs you had identified as important?
You may have to repeat this process before you find the right doctor for YOU. Just because your next door neighbor thinks he’s great you may not. Evaluate the meeting. If you feel comfortable the next move is to make an appointment to actually be seen by the physician to discuss your current medical conditions, your medications, past magical history. It will be his/her turn to get to know you better.
But wait – There is homework for that visit too that we will discuss in our next blog……How NOT to waste the doctor’s time and your $$$$$.