Unfortunately, not all doctors are created equal. When it comes to finding a doctor whom you can trust, it can be a crap shoot. Sometimes you might end up spending lots of money before you find a doctor you love and trust. Nothing spreads a reputation faster than word-of-mouth. The good, the bad, and the ugly are unleashed through another person’s experiences. If you are lucky enough to be part of an online health forum that is specific to your geographical area, you might be able to find a doctor based on someone else’s recommendations. Or, perhaps you do like your doctor and need to see a specialist. He or she usually provides you with a list of practitioners who are reputable or with whom your doctor has ties to in some ways.
But if you are starting from scratch - maybe you moved to a new area, or are about to have a baby for the first time and need a pediatrician - you just might have to "try on" doctors for size and see which one passes your test.
Here is a checklist of questions to consider:
- Are the office staff friendly and patient-minded? If you ask for information, the mark of a good doctor’s office is well-trained staff. If you feel hurried, unimportant, or misunderstood by just talking to the appointment setter or receptionist over the phone, you might want to try elsewhere and save yourself the hassle.
- How quickly can you be seen? Whether you are an established patient with a practice, or trying out a new office, your needs are important. There is generally a reasonable amount of waiting time that speaks volumes about a doctor’s reputation and expertise. While it may be good that you are able to get in right away, and it could just be your good luck that someone canceled at the last-minute, the doctor’s lack of patients could be due to the doctor’s poor reputation, or lack of experience. On the other hand, a doctor who is hard to schedule with may be reaching his or her patient capacity, but it doesn’t always mean the doctor would be the best one for you.
- How are you treated when you enter the office? Are you greeted with a smile and friendly hello, or are you mostly ignored or talked down to?Again, the first impression by courteous staff says a lot about the doctor running the show.
- How does the doctor treat you? The doctor should actively listen to your concerns both before and after your exam, spending a few minutes addressing your needs without your feeling like either the doctor is trying to push you out the door, or keep you there longer to rack up charges.
- How satisfied are you with the results of your exam? If the doctor is truly knowledgeable in what he or she does, you will leave the office feeling confident in what you were treated for as being fair, and you are armed with all the facts.
