Choosing a Doctor - 3 Tips

With the advent of managed healthcare plans and HMO’s many people have placed the cart before the horse when choosing a doctor. They go to a neighbor, friend, or family member and ask for a name or recommendation of someone they have used. Then they go to their managed care website or pamphlet to see if those recommendations accept their insurance. Almost immediately after these first two steps everything they do afterwards often goes downhill. So to get started on what you should do next let me start by asking you this question: What is more important than your health? We all want to save money if we can and typically favor those in our network when choosing a doctor, but what if the doctor everyone is recommending (also assuming you have checked into him/her) is not in your network? There is a decision here that has to be made by you but let me help you by asking you this question. If you needed a heart transplant do you want the BEST transplant surgeon or the CHEAPEST?

Choosing a Doctor - Take Charge

Now that you have answered those first two questions, and hopefully the answers were “Nothing”, and “The Best”, I will tell you what you need to know to select the right doctor.

1. Interview the Doctor. This is your health you are concerned about, not the doctor's. Therefore, you get to choose the right doctor for you. You are paying his fees, so he does not get to choose you (unless it is a condition he does not treat). So before you visit the doctor at the office have a list of questions to ask. RULE #1: Ask about 5 minutes worth of questions and three possibilities will occur: A. they will answer all your questions (or set up a future appointment to answer your questions); B. they will answer some questions and try to start care; C. they will have their nurse escort you out the front door. If you end up with B or C, you have the wrong doctor. You want A to be the answer.
2. You deserve to see the doctor. Modern healthcare seems to be going in the direction of physicians utilizing physician assistants in performing many of the routine tasks that the physicians used to perform. Why? It improves the bottom line and makes the doctor more money. The Government says there is a shortage of doctors but with 954,000 M.D.’s (19,080 per state on average), 70,480 D.O.’s (1,409 per state on average), and 58,000 D.C.’s (1,160 per state on average) there hardly seems to be a shortage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics it takes two years to complete full-time training as a P.A.
3. Options, options, options. In real estate it is location, in healthcare it is options, options, options. One of the questions you need to ask the doctor is, “What options are available?” Typically, most physicians recommend what they do as that is their source of income. I feel, that ethically, all physicians should inform you of all your options, medical, surgical, chiropractic, and alternative care. Patients are individually unique and respond differently to various conditions. The patient needs to know what options are available. Healthcare is a team concept and the patient-doctor relationship should assure the patient that the doctor will act responsibly and ethically without financial considerations being in the forefront. If a doctor cannot recommend any options other than what they perform they are either lying or too ignorant to be your choice.

Choosing a Doctor - It Needs to Be Your Choice