You have moved to a new community and need a new family doctor. It is not something you should “just let your fingers do the walking” in the yellow pages to find. How do you find the best family practice provider for your household?
If you have insurance coverage this is the most logical place to start. The insurance company would most likely have a network of clinics and doctors that works best with your policy. If you don’t have coverage or the coverage allows you to use any provider then asking friends and neighbors is also a good source of information. Many local hospitals will also provide physician referral lines that can give you all sorts of information about providers who have permission to practice at that facility.
Most family practice doctors will be able to treat all your household members. Some may be “board certified” and have additional training in a specialty such as “internal medicine”. Some family practice clinics utilize nurse practitioners; that can write, diagnose and write prescriptions under the physician’s supervision. They may have special certifications as well such as “women’s health”. Many family practices providers help manage chronic illness so look for the one who best fits your household’s health care needs.
Nurse practitioners are certified in a variety of areas such as women’s health, geriatrics, neonatal care, and pediatrics. Each specialization has its own certification process.
You should find out how many years your respective provider has been practicing. A new doctor may be easier to get into see and have more time to spend with you as a patient. A more experienced doctor may have a lot of experience dealing with your specific health issues. Again, you must consider the priority of your needs as a patient when choosing a family physician.
How important is feeling heard about your health care decisions to you? Many very competent providers may hear your concerns but are not inclined to take a lot of time with you in the office. If you feel you can trust these providers’ decisions then “bed side manner” might not be a big factor to you. If this is important to you make sure your provider is one who can take time to listen. . If the practice has a nurse practitioner then when you need to see the physician they might actually have more time to spend with you and answer your questions. All doctors should make time available to answer questions in regard to chronic illness or serious illness regardless of their schedule. Lastly, your attitude matters to in the selection of a family provider. If you are planning to go to your family practice doctor for your routine gynecological care and you are not comfortable receiving that from a man or a woman provider would be a better choice.
Clinics can be good choices if you’re worried about being able to see you family practice provider at a moment’s notice. While most give you a main provider either a physician or nurse practitioner, if the even you need to be seen right away they can usually schedule you with another provider in that practice if yours is not available. This could save you run running to immediate care clinics where they do not have a detailed health history on you and are many not covered by insurance.
If you are bound and determined to use the hospital closest to your house than make sure the provider you choose, have privileges to practice there. If you have kids this is a necessity as there will be emergency room runs. This way if you do end up being hospitalized in an emergency you do not have to face the prospect of using a physician that does not know you. Also, if your family practice doctor is affiliated with your closet hospital you have a better chance of being referred to specialist who also practices at that hospital. This situation helps you manage overall healthcare in a more logical manner
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Remember that your family practice provider is your first line of defense against serious illness. You need the peace of mind that the person dealing with the most important aspects of your family’s health is someone you can trust.
