Are you looking for a good doctor? If you have recently moved, switched insurance, changed jobs, or you just don't like your current doctor, then you will most likely be on the market searching for a new physician. Whether you are looking for a specialist or a primary doctor, you must do your research to make sure that they are honest, trustworthy and careful. High quality health care must be sought out in today's society because there are a number of doctors who are negligent and careless when it comes to treating there patients. Here at The Tolson Firm, LLC, we don't want you to be another medical malpractice statistic, so we have put together a list of helpful tips to guide you in finding the right doctor for you.
When people begin searching for a new doctor they have no idea where to start looking or where to even begin. So let's start with the big picture. In order to have a good doctor you need three main things:
- You need to have health insurance so that your medical services are covered at the doctor's office. With the new Obamacare that will be taking effect January of 2014, more people throughout the United States will have health insurance. For this reason more people will have coverage, which could mean that doctors will be in short supply. If you don't have your own insurance plan, you should try to get covered under a family member's policy so that your medical needs are taken care of.
- You want to make sure that the doctor you choose is accessible to their patients. If you are not able to come in for an appointment because your doctor is overbooked, then you may want to look elsewhere. When looking for the right doctor you want to make sure that they are easy to get in contact with, meaning that you can reach them by phone or email in case of emergency. You should also look to see how close their office is to your home and what their hours of operation are in order to make sure that they are convenient for you.
- One major part about finding a doctor is compatibility and chemistry. If you do not feel a connection with the doctor and you don't like the way they work, then you will never feel comfortable with them. In order to fully disclose your medical and health needs you will want to find a physician with a personality that you like.
Seek Recommendations
With those three main factors in mind, now you can begin your search. Wondering where to start looking? The first and most trustworthy sources that you should utilize are you friends and family. Get doctor recommendations from your loved ones and the people that are closest to you and get their feedback on possible doctors. If you have recently moved to another city or state, get recommendations from your co-workers and friends or send out a social media post asking for doctor recommendations in the area.
Go Online
Another resource that is extremely helpful is going online to search for doctors. By searching on yelp, ZocDoc or Vitals.com, you can read online patient reviews from their past patients to see what people are saying about them. If you find a doctor with numerous glowing reviews and they seem to have impressive credentials, then they most likely provide high quality services to their patients.
Personal Preference
If you are the type of person where the gender of your doctor makes a difference, then that is definitely something to keep in mind when choosing your physician. Whatever your personal preference may be, you want to make sure to narrow down your search. For example, when it comes to getting breast screenings or cervical cancer testing done, most women prefer to have a female doctor. Men however, don't tend to have a strong preference as to the gender of their doctor.
Do Your Research
Aside from getting recommendations from other people, you can also do some research of your own. Some good things to search for when choosing a doctor are experience, and education. If you have a prospective doctor that you are thinking of using, try to find out where they went to medical school and how many years they have been practicing medicine. You should look into whether or not a medical malpractice suit has ever been filed against them.
If you have wronged by your current doctor, then contact The Tolson Firm, LLC today to see if you have a case.