How Do You Choose the Right Medical Doctor?
by Shain Waugh
Since the dawn of time, one of the most critical elements in being satisfied with your health care experience is choosing the right physician. The relationship one has with their health care provider should mean better communication, effective treatment, and life longevity. The challenge that we face today is selecting the right doctor. There is an array of reference sites such as the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Medical Association, Administrators in Medicine, WebMD, Mayo Clinic, etc.
However, these references only provide information on a physician’s qualifications, physical location, specialty of practice, insurance, etc. There is no true method of evaluating a physicians performance besides referrals or viral reporting (word of mouth). In past survey studies of the general public, three out of every five people are unhappy with their current physician and three out of every five people are actively looking for a new physician.
The question for this dialogue is what do we do as a community to become more informed about physician’s medical practices? What are some tactical strategies that you the reader have utilized successfully? Your feedback provides great insight to those of us struggling to address this question each day.
November 25th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Choosing the right Dr. can somtimes be out of your hands especially when you move to a new city. Often were are forced to go on the reccomendatioons of friends or medical aquaintances. The unfortunate part is that even though you are happy with the referrals and feel that the Drs. must be safe, this is often not the case.
I moved to north Florida and had completed most of my txs. for breast cancer completed in South florida. The care I rec’d was in my opinion very substand to the care recd. in N. Florida. I am right now sufferring greatly from the side effects of radiation. The side effects have gone from worst to unbelevable. I am also caught in between the proverbial rock and a hard place as when one Dr. messes up, almost no one wants to touch ya. Please wish me well in this struggle!
December 12th, 2007 at 6:00 am
I am currently looking for another primary physician, and I totally agree that we need a better way of finding a great doctor. Sadly enough, my only method is to print a list of doctors within 5 miles of my job, and call to carefully listen to how the receptionist answers the phone. If he/she sounds really busy more than a few times or the answering service keeps picking up, it’s not the place I’d like to frequent.
Someone advised me once to visit the doctor’s office a few times to observe. It’s sad that although we’re in a technologically advanced society, we must resort to such antiquated tactics. Where can I find a good doctor in Broward County, who is concerned about the patients’ total well being!!??
December 19th, 2007 at 4:04 am
Even though you may not beleive it, try the North Broward Hospital District in particular Broward General. The have Drs. of all specialties tied into the hospital.
BG is a teaching hospital and what they see in a month, many Drs. and hospitals never get to see.
My experience was great. Give them a try!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:37 am
The comments above are of a similar pattern among many within the community concerned about finding the right medical physician, hospital, clinic, or practice. The quality of health care is improved significantly by the informed consumer, but challenges still present themselves. As D. Gardner states in the above post, when looking for a physician in North Florida her research was some what informative, thorough, and well thought out, but medical errors and problems still took place.
In evaluating these physician practices and medical facilities, we as a community must demand more from the facilities in being more open about their medical practices. Its not significant enough to just illustrate a facility or physician online, but more so to detail those practice, illustrate procedures, and discuss many of the improvements within the facility designed to improve medical error, nursing shortage, medcial personnel evaluations after hire, and so forth.
These processes once in place enables use as a community to make better informed decision about a particular facility for ourselves, parent, children, and friends. Its critical that in America we as a people get valid information, given that we cannot have universal health care. It interesting how the government can give $550 Billion for the Iraq war, but cannot give 10% of this total to improve U.S. health care system and start universal healthcare.