Should you go to Google? Maybe you tried typing, “Best doctors near me”, “Who is the best doctor in my town”, “What is the best site for doctor reviews”, or “How to find a doctor”. Have you considered word of mouth? Perhaps you have a friend or family member who recommended a doctor to you that they thought was amazing! So you decide to give them a call to set up an appointment. As you get on the phone with the office, the almighty question arises, “Great, what insurance do you have?”. Uh-oh. They do not accept your insurance and the out-of-pocket cost for a visit, not even including labs and imaging, behooves you. That can be a major roadblock. That brings us to step 1.
Step 1: Check With Your Insurance Plan
If you are insured, you look for your medical insurance card and flip it over. There’s a website. Perfect! You go to the website and see a list of providers online. Oh my… there are hundreds of options. Who’s who? How do you know who’s the best doctor for you?! It is a mighty long list! This is exhausting! You decide to sort by specialty. Then you sort by distance. That list may be cut down but not by very much. You decide to just pick! What’s the worst that can happen? You call the first number that you somehow strategically but randomly selected and then… “Our next availability for a new patient appointment is in 3 months”. Wow. Is this for real?
You do this a couple more times and the same thing happens. How long do you think it will take before you give up? Based on experience and through confessions by some of my patients, not long at all. The process can be very discouraging and doesn’t seem to be set up for patients to succeed. How hard could this be? There are doctors everywhere! As we travel through a major city, there are offices and/or hospitals all around. This shouldn’t be so trivial. Yet, it is.
It feels pretty random to select a provider you know nothing about from a “list” that your insurance plan provides for you, so we recommend keeping that list in your ‘back pocket’. It’s a good starting point but more is necessary. Let’s move on.
Step 2: Ask for Recommendations
Ask your friends, family, and colleagues if they have any doctors they would recommend. You can also ask for recommendations from other providers that you trust, such as your dentist, pharmacist, or therapist. It’s always a good idea to get a few names and then cross-reference them to your insurance list.
Step 3: Turn to Online Resources
So you hit the internet streets. Thankfully, there are resources like ZocDoc.com that can help to make this process easier. Not only can you sort by specialty, condition, or procedure, but you can sort by location and by insurance, as well! When you generate the list of providers that fit your search, you can select availability and read reviews! Let me tell you… reviews are great (when a patient leaves them – regardless of the quality of their experience). However, somehow, the follow-through rate of leaving a review when one’s experience was terrible is much higher than that of if you had a great experience. Either way, it’s a win-win situation! Reviews can help a whole lot. Also, even if there are some negative reviews, reading through them can be helpful if there is a common trend among them. We highly recommend this.
Step 4: Check the Doctor’s Credentials
Make sure the doctor is licensed in your state and is board certified in their area of expertise. You can check any doctor’s credentials through your state medical board or the American Board of Medical Specialties. A simple google search might also do. Google, Yelp, HealthGrades, or Vitals would be great places to start.
Step 5: Consider the Doctor’s Location & Availability
Be sure to select a doctor that is conveniently located and has hours that work for you. You don’t want to have to travel very far or wait weeks for an appointment. Also, check their hospital affiliations. What if hospitalization is needed? It would be best if your doctor is affiliated with a hospital that you can easily get to that way your medical history is not a mystery and you can receive the best comprehensive care that the team can offer! It is often a great idea to become a patient of a practice that has many providers. That way, if one provider cannot see you at any given time, there is a partner who can (and still has your history at their fingertips).
Bottom Line
The best doctor is the doctor who listens.
The best doctor is one who is knowledgeable but not arrogant. The best doctor is the doctor who knows how to say, “I don’t know… but I will find out”. The best doctor is different for everyone. I know you googled “The best doctor in {insert your city/town here}” but that is not always the way to go. Read reviews. Check their HealthGrade. Check availability. Set up your appointment and see for yourself. Is the front desk clerk courteous? Is the facility or office clean? And whether you had a great or a poor experience, write a review! You could be helping the next patient find someone great for them!
Other great online options have their advantages and their drawbacks but see for yourself! Check out NexHealth, OpenCare, Healthgrades, Vitals, LocalMed, Tripment Health, Sesame, CashMD, DocSpot, MDSave, DocMatch, and Health Tap. Most of these allow you to schedule online and have reviews that you can go through. Some of them allow you to message the offices directly. These are amazing networks that make it easy for us to find a provider based on our needs. Sometimes, we wonder what were we doing before this was available?! Truly, it should not be so difficult to find the right doctor for you!
TeenyDose is your resource for navigating the healthcare world. Providing tips for patients who seek help with medical questions and for providers who need resources to help their patients best. If you love what you read here, don’t be selfish. Share it with your friends. We would love to hear from you if you have suggestions or wish to be a contributor.
