Finding a Doctor Part 1: The PCP (Primary Care Provider)

I figure that it's time again for a non-David related post. In recent weeks I've had a few conversations about finding a good doctor. There's a lot of great physicians out there, but even as a nurse I still have difficulties knowing where to look at times. Dealing with as many doctors and their offices as I have has taught me a thing or two over the years though and since this is my blog I thought I'd pass my great wisdom along. This is how I go about finding a regular family practice doctor or pediatrician.

1. For most people one of their top concerns is making sure that doctors are true experts in their field. Some people do an interviewing screening process in which they ask things such as where they went to school, their GPA, MCAT scores, etc. This is not a good way to assess a doctor's competence. Unfortunately there really are no questions you can ask a doctor in advance to get a sense of medical expertise. Accepting this upfront will save you the stress of trying.

2. Decide what other things are most important to you based on your prior experience with doctors offices. I hate being rushed out the door before I get a chance to ask any questions so for me the number one thing is a provider that will take time to explain things to me. I also appreciate shorter wait times, friendly office staff, and the ability to fit me in when I need an appointment. If I call with a medical concern I prefer there to be a nurse (RN or LPN) to take my call rather than a medical assistant and I expect all my calls to be returned in a timely manner.

Other considerations may be: Should medications be prescribed as a first or last resort? Is it important that alternative therapies be instead of or in conjunction with traditional medicine? Do I want to be able to play an active role in choosing my treatment options or would I rather leave my care to my doctor's discretion? These are important things to think about but these will be much harder to gauge in advance because most doctors will fall somewhere in the gray area between the extremes (which is a good thing in my opinion).

3. Ask around. Chances are you have a friend who is happy with their family doctor or pediatrician. Find out who and why. Ask your friends about your list of considerations from above. They probably can't answer all your questions, but they should be able to give you a good start.

4. Once you've got a satisfactory referral make an appointment. Bring your list of considerations and get answers to all of the questions your friends could not answer satisfactorily. If you feel like it's a good fit for you then keep going. If not don't.

5. If you ever hit a point where you feel that your concerns aren't being taken seriously or that your problems are not being appropriately addressed you should get a second opinion. If the doctor simply seems to be ignoring your concerns you should start looking for another primary provider. If you have a specific health problem that's not getting fixed you should consider a specialist. Of course they may not be able to offer any more help (unfortunately we still can't fix everything), but it's worth a try.