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Choosing the Right Doctor for You

© Gretchen Malik

Choosing a doctor can be one of the most important decisions of your life. Although managed health care plans may limit your selection, you can still make the best choice for your needs with a little research.

If you have access to the Internet, go online and in minutes, you can learn where your prospective or current caregiver received his or her education, medical and residency training, and professional affiliations. The American Medical Association's free directory lists more than 650,000 licensed doctors in the United States.

Make a phone call and you can learn if they're even licensed to practice medicine. Sound strange? Some doctors have had their licenses revoked for disciplinary reasons; some are still in training; and a small number of unscrupulous practitioners never applied. Each state has a licensing board where you can check the status of a license and learn of disciplinary actions. For the number of the state licensing board in your area, call the Federation of State Medical Boards at (817) 868-4000. Once you have a good idea which doctor you are considering, it's time to start asking questions. Where did you go to medical school? Where did you do your residency training?

Look for doctors trained at busy hospitals, which indicates they may have gained more practical experience and more exposure to a larger number and variety of cases. Teaching hospitals may also offer medical students more practical experience.

Also find out how long it typically takes to get an appointment and under what circumstances the doctor will see you on the same day. If you have to wait more than a month, you might want to consider another office that has a more reasonable waiting time. It's worth the cost of a visit or consultation to go in and really look and try to find out what you like and what you don't like. Look at the office--see if they have a friendly staff. Are they the type of people you can trust? Do they seem to respect you? Is the doctor friendly or aloof? Are you comfortable?

Your primary care physician is the doctor with whom you will probably spend the most time and whose style and philosophy will help guide your overall health care choices and medical treatments. That's why it's important to find someone you are comfortable with personally, and whose experience, education and training make you feel confident.

In choosing a primary care physician, you'll want to make sure that the doctor has a broad knowledge of medicine and the resources to recommend specialists when needed. Make sure the doctor listens to you, encourages you to ask questions, explains things clearly and treats you with respect. If you are suffering from particular conditions, ask whether the doctor has experience in these areas or can refer you to someone who does.

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