How to Find the Right Doctor for You and Your Family

Having to select a new physician can be a daunting task. You need to choose a physician that you are comfortable with and can talk to about virtually anything. Whether it be a primary care physician, a specialist or a pediatrician for your newborn baby, you want someone that you will feel comfortable with.

First determine whether or not you need a general practitioner or a specialist. A lot of times your insurance will come into play as to which one will be the best financial decision for you. For example, my insurance does not require me to have a referral to see a specialist. My co-pay is higher for a specialist than for my GP, but I prefer to see a specialist when it is something that I have problems with- such as an ENT or gynecologist.

No matter whether you need to select a primary care physician or a specialists, ask your family, friends and even co-workers who they use and ask them for their opinion of their doctor. They will normally tell you their honest opinion of their physician. Women are especially more likely to tell you their experiences with their physicians- good or bad.

Some women prefer not to have their obstetrician or gynecologist be male. Some women are uncomfortable having a female as their ob/gyn. Decide which you are comfortable with and select some physicians from your list to begin checking out.

Virtually everything is searchable online. First google your potential physicians' names. Start with placing their name in quotes. If this does not return any information, try changing the search. For example, if your potential doctors' name is John Doe, search for Dr. John Doe, John Doe, MD and Dr. John Doe + (state they are located in). Keep in mind not everything contained online is accurate. You have to take everything with a grain of salt. That being said, you could stumble across some news or medical articles written by or about this potential doctor.

The next thing you should do it check out your doctors' credentials through your state board of medical examiners. This is the board that verifies that their medical license is current. Depending on your particular state's procedures of what it makes available online, they sometimes show which medical school they attended, their specialty and date that their medical license will expire.

You should also call the physicians' office and see which hospitals the doctor has privileges at. This is something to think about now, in case the need arises and you have to have surgery. What if the doctor is covered under your insurance, yet the hospital he practices at is not? Just another small thing to consider.

Depending on what information you learn both from speaking with outers and online, you might still not be sold on selecting this physician your physician. You can always call the physicians' office and let them know that you are interested in possibly selecting this physician and would like to come meet with the doctor. This can help you to see if you like his bed-side manner. Some people will not click. If you do not feel comfortable with someone who you can talk to about something as important as your health, you need to keep searching.

Also, picking a doctor does not mean that you are locked into having this physician for the rest of your life. If you decide you do not care much for your doctor or maybe even his office staff, you can start the process over and find another physician. You and your doctor (as well as his office nurse and staff) should work together as a team. Not everyone will need to consult their doctor other than yearly office visits, but others will need their doctors involvement and it is important that you are comfortable with the person you choose to treat you and your family.