Finding a Great Doctor

By Julie Fishman

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An apple a day doesn’t actually keep the doctor away (it just causes gas), so it’s important to know how to find Dr. Feelgood when we’re Mr. Feelbad. While Dr. Pepper will quench our thirst and The Spin Doctors will nurse nostalgia, neither can repair a torn ACL or remove impacted wisdom teeth. With over 900,000 practicing physicians in the United States, locating the right doc may seem more daunting than finding Waldo in a candy cane factory. Before giving up and resigning to a life of congestion and constipation, read below for physician finding fundamentals.

Skimming the Surface

If we have an insurance provider, the first step should be to visit their website or call to conduct a search for managed care in-network doctors in the specialty we need. They’ll give us a list that’s longer than a DMV line of participating docs that we should narrow down first by location and eventually by skill. Though we can also choose out-of-network doctors, the insurance company will cover a lower percentage of the overall visit. However, when looking for the best care, don’t discount independent doctors; the insurance company may cover enough of the cost for us to wing it, or we may simply have enough on our own to foot the bill without them. Just like independence from England won us advantages, independent doctors aren’t influenced by incentives from drug companies or insurance carriers.

Besides insurance companies, we can also use The American Medical Association and WebMD doctor finder, both searchable by name, specialty, and location. Local publications, like New York or Philadelphia Magazine offer listings of top doctors in the area. So, next time we hit the newsstand for our “US Weekly” gossip fill, we should check for regional magazines, then visit their online archives to see if they rate the docs in the hood. The most old-school way to find a good doctor is often the best – just ask around. Friends, co-workers, and neighbors offer something a computer or magazine can’t – no, not kidney donation – personal experience. Avoid the Yellow Pages: there is an inverse relationship between a doctor’s ad size and their skill. Be sure to consider location – the farther away we have to go, the less likely we’re going to.

Digging Deeper

Before picking Dr. Balzac because his name is funny or Dr. Grey in the hopes that Ellen Pompeo segued from “Grey’s Anatomy” to real anatomy, it’s important to check out the physician’s background. Doctor search engines provided through our insurance company, WebMD, or the AMA offer elementary information. To step it up to middle school, visit Castle Connolly, a site with educational, training, and expertise details. Steer clear of services that charge a fee, like Physician Reports or Health Grades, each of which claim to offer a wealth of information for a chunk of our wealth (about $25) but in most cases don’t provide more than an address and alma mater. Whichever method we choose, we need to look for the following things:

Education – If the doc holds a degree from The University of Phoenix Online, don’t line up to see him. Check out this list of the top med schools in the country.
Specialty and Subspecialty – Just knowing the guy is an orthopedic surgeon is about as helpful as knowing the lyrics to “Amish Paradise.” Find out what he specializes in amongst the head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
Membership and Appointments – Take a look at what organizations they belong to or board positions they hold. The more they’re involved in the medical community associated with their area of expertise, the more likely they’ll be up-to-date with treatments and procedures.
Hospital/Med School Affiliations – Top doctors work at top hospitals; top hospitals offer top resources; top resources mean we get top care. Here’s a list of the best hospitals in the country. Even if it’s not on the list, a hospital affiliated with a university often has better quality control than Halle Berry’s wardrobe manager, so scan this list of top med schools.
Disciplinary Action – A lawsuit or two may simply mean the physician is willing to attempt more risky procedures. Ten or twenty and we’d be better off letting a drunk friend with a butter knife remove our spleen. Make sure they have not been charged with serious transgressions, such as sexual misconduct or narcotic offenses, by searching on Castle Connolly, and see if they’ve been fined or had their license suspended or revoked by contacting the respective state board of medicine.

Back to Basics – In addition to the background check tactics mentioned above, conduct a basic internet search with the doctor’s name, specialty, and location. If they’re affiliated with any societies, universities, or the porn industry, we may be able to obtain bios through those sites.
Birds of a Feather – Local, regional, and even national chapters of disease organizations can be a valuable resource when searching for doctors, researching treatment, or looking for advice from those with the same condition.
Don’t Delay – Putting off a visit because we’re too lazy to look for a doctor can turn a minor annoyance into a major complication. Don’t let lethargy lead to otherwise unnecessary surgery.
First Time’s Not Always a Charm – Like lovers, doctors and patients should have a certain chemistry (nonsexual recommended). Just like the first person we date doesn’t have to be the one we marry, the first physician we see doesn’t have to be the one we stick with.
Participation Points – Doctors like informed patients more than the smell of a fresh batch of surgical gloves. We should do some research on our condition before the first appointment so that we’re an active participant, not an ignorant bystander.