Selecting a Physician: Some things to consider
Until a few years ago, people mostly based choosing a doctor on the personal recommendation of a trusted friend or relative: Joe would ask his friend, "Hey Charlie, do you know a good doctor, my knee has been hurting" Charlie would answer, "Well Joe, my Aunt Agnes has gone to Dr. Smith on Elm Street for years".
It’s still a good idea to start with the people you know. You can ask friends, relatives, coworkers, and other medical professionals (maybe your dentist or pharmacist) for personal recommendations. But at some point in your research, you might be faced with a list of managed care network physicians, and you’ll be making your choice on the sound of the physician’s name or the location of his or her office.
Choosing a physician can be a difficult task, but the great news is, we have unprecedented access to great information to help us in our decisions. At St. Mary’s Good Samaritan, we try to help you find what you’re looking for, both on the web and by phone.
At www.smgsi.com, you can find information on all of our great physician staff, including specialists in anesthesiology, cardiology, dermatology, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, and many, many more. You can search by specialty, or by physician name, and see pictures and information on the physician’s background, training, and more.
Want to try it out? Click on "Find a Physician" right on our homepage!
If you’re searching for a physician, you can also call our toll-free number: 1-888-257-6098, where someone is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you locate the physician you need, based on specialty, location, and any number of other factors that make a difference to you!
When you’re researching possible physicians, you’ll have access to some pretty important information that requires consideration:
v Academic History
Ø It is useful to know the doctor's specialty and subspecialty (the areas in which a doctor received between 3 to 7 years of additional training beyond medical school). It is not enough to know that a doctor is an orthopedic surgeon. You must also know if he is a specialist in knees or hands or other body part.
v Board Certification And Continuing Education
Ø A doctor who is board-certified has taken several extra years of specialty training and passed a rigorous board examination. Some boards require continuing education and periodic recertification too.
v Hospital Affiliations
Ø Information about a doctor's hospital affiliations will tell you if the doctor has privileges at a particular hospital and also serves to attest to his credentials. It is recommended that your primary care doctor have privileges where your surgeon does so that the primary doctor can manage your general care following a surgical admission.
In addition, the American Medical Association recommends researching the following details when selecting a doctor:
Ø Inquire about the doctors' office hours
Ø Inquire about availability in an emergency, or a back-up physician
Ø Ask about the average wait during appointments
Ø Ask the number of patients booked per hour
Ø Ask if you can choose the specialist you wish to see
Ø Assess your general rapport with the doctor during an interview with him or her
Finding the right physician for you is important – it’s a relationship that can last a lifetime! Take the time to make the best choice for you and your family, so the relationship will be as fulfilling as possible.