Finding a doctor nowadays might seem as easy as searching Google, but trying to find a doctor who’s right for you is a bit more difficult. That is, unless you know where to look.
Here are a few tips that can help.
Your Health Insurance Network’s Website Can Help. – The website of your health insurance network can make finding a physician much easier, because it has a director of all the doctors in your network. However, don’t trust the online directory alone when you try finding a medical professional, because doctors drop and add plans more often than the website is updated. In other words, the directory may not have the most current information, so it’d be a good idea to call and verify if the doctors you’re considering still accept that insurance.
Find Out What the Office Policies Are. – Some doctors have pretty flexible schedules. Others do not. Since illnesses and injuries happen when you least need them to, you need to try finding a doctor who can easily make an appointment. Find out if how long it takes to schedule an appointment for a routine visit, which should take less than a week, and how long of a wait patients usually need to deal with. You’d also be wise to ask if they block out time for same-day appointments, too.
Need a Specialist? Look For Board Certification. – If finding a medical specialist is your main prerogative, then look for board certification from the American Board of Medical Specialties. It shows that the doctor has not only earned his or her medical degree from a qualified school, but has also completed three to seven years’ worth of accredited residency training, has a license from the state medical board, and passed at least one exam from the American Board of Medical Specialties. In other words, it’s the proof that they know what they’re doing.
Finding a doctor you can trust isn’t quite so easy. However, if you look in the right place, for the right things, you’ll have no trouble at all. If you have any questions, feel free to share in the comments.