How do find a doctor that's right for you

How do you find a doctor that is right for you? It can often get quite difficult to get a good doctor that you could rely on. Especially when you’ve never had a primary care physician.

So here are some ways for you to find the right doctor for you.

Compile a list of all available doctors in your region.

This list can be easily generated by doing a quick online search, either by Google, or going to websites that show all doctors in your region.

Narrow your choices down.

Once you have a good list going, it’s time to narrow your choices down. Look for signs that certain doctors are better choices. Check out these following details:

  • Hospital affiliation (s)
  • Office location(s)
  • Educational history
  • Specialties
  • Languages spoken
  • Years in practice
  • Gender
  • Kinds of insurance accepted
  • Review CV if available (likely available on affiliated hospital sites).
  • Check out patient testimonials (take them with a grain of salt in case they are skewed by disgruntled patients).
  • Make sure they are accepting new patients.

Do an internet "background check" of your best choices.

  • Confirm their certification as approrpiate.
  • Check for any negative reports at their home country's licensing websit
  • Google their social media and see if you can find out anything about them through those channels.

Make an appointment.

Consider the following qualities in a good doctor appointment:

  • The quality of the team: courteousness of scheduling staff, professionalism of nurses, PA's, techs, etc..
  • Facilities: Is it comfortable and relaxing there?
  • Do they have good communication? Are they efficient and prompt?

Be prepared.

When you’re first visiting the doctor, it’s good to do some homework yourself ahead of time.

  • Bring your list of medications.
  • Bring a list of your surgical and medical history/conditions.
  • Bring a list of your allergies.
  • Bring contact information for another physicians/providers.
  • Bring your insurance details.

Ask the doctor the right questions.

It’s a two-way street, finding out if a doctor is good for you or not. So make sure to ask the right kind of questions.

  • Just how many procedures (like the one I'll want ) have you done before?
  • Which will be the risks/benefits of the Process? Alternatives?
  • What should I read to learn more about this?
  • If unsure of identification: What else would it be?
  • Are there other medicines which are not as costly that we could substitute?

Go with your gut.

When in doubt, always trust your feelings. You have to be comfortable with the doctor if you’re foreseeing a long-term relationship with the physician. Ask yourself things like:

  • Did the doctor explain everything clearly?
  • Did the doctor appear to care for you?
  • Do you trust your doctor to be thorough with follow up?
  • Would you enjoy your physician?

Get another opinion.

In the end, you just might not be sure. That’s not a problem.

  • If the doctor didn't fulfil your expectations in any substantial way, find a different one.
  • If you really want to be sure about the doctor, get another opinion from one of his/her peers, or if you can’t get that, people that have been the doctor’s patient, or is currently a patient.