Family Doctors - Tips for Finding a New Doctor

Family doctors still exist. There are many still offering similar services to their predecessors although home visits are no longer possible except in emergency cases. Although more people are seeking care from doctors specializing in different areas of medicine, family doctors are still an integral part of the health care system. In fact, many insurance companies require that you be registered with a family doctor to be referred out to a specialist. However, these family physicians are also limited in the treatment of various injuries.

A family doctor is one who ensures your overall health. Unlike doctors who specialize in the treatment of a certain organ, disease or system, family doctors receive specialized training that enables them to treat your whole body. They take care of patients of different ages and suffering from various conditions. Their form of treatment involves physical as well as psychological treatment. These doctors forge relationships with their clients and assist them in making the right decisions for their health care.

Training to become a family doctor requires practical training for 3 years in a real practice, treating patients. This may be in a hospital, health care center, medical clinic, or a home. Although these doctors are not specialized in any particular area of medicine, they must keep up with the latest developments in general medical practice. For this reason, family doctors must undergo re-certification more often than any other type of doctor. This ensures that they continue to re-educate themselves and are up to date at all times.

Although you may not have any health problems, it is important that you register with a family doctor. This is not only to meet the requirements of your insurance provider but also as a precaution. Family doctors are trained in both primary and preventative care. They are therefore well placed to advise you on prevention of health problems which is a much better option compared to overcoming health problems. This type of care will also help you save money in the long run as you will remain healthy and tackle health problems before they become serious.

Finding a doctor can be a challenging task. The best place to begin your search is with your friends and family. They may be able to refer you to doctors that are currently accepting new patients. Before you register with a family doctor, there is basic information you need to find out from them. This includes their working hours, the number of doctors in the practice, the system of payment expected, the referral of specialists, and if the practice can treat for your specific ailment or injury.

All patients should recognize that not all family practice physicians can treat for every type of injury. The vast majority don't treat injuries that occur at work, in a car accident, or personal injury such as a slip and fall. For workman's comp, most states require that the physician be certified on the Approved Doctors List to treat for on the job accidents. Subsequently, with the tedious pre-authorizations and extra paperwork required for worker's comp medical reimbursement, the medical clinics don't have the adequate staff for the extra workload. In reference to auto accidents and personal injury situations, the majority of family practice physicians refuse to provide medical care until an attorney is retained by the patient to guarantee payment to the treating doctor for medical care. Even then most physicians never recoup anywhere close to their out of pocket cost of treatment.

A good doctor should be able to answer all your questions with ease. He or she should be able to make you comfortable and explain specific recovery methods in a way that you will understand. Good family doctors take the time to answer questions asked by their patients and are patient enough to explain the answers.

See for yourself by contacting a doctor here: Family Practice Phone Numbers.

Find more about different types of doctors at http://painandinjurydoctors.com including recovery methods for all injures and pain.

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Practical Tips to Finding a Doctor Online

A number of useful sites on the Internet can help you find doctors, whether you are in search for primary care physician, a second opinion or you need to know something about a specific medical condition. All you need to find a doctor online is a computer with Internet access, the ability to use search engine sites like Google, and a method to discern whether the information that you discovered is accurate or not.

Here are some practical tips to find a doctor online:

Decide the type of doctor that you need to talk to. Are you looking for a pediatrician or internist? Narrowing down your search will get results faster. If you want to ask a cardiologist a question, then you would search for something like "find a cardiologist online" or "talk to cardiologist." This is more defined rather than if you input "find doctor online." Your search will most likely result to plenty of information about individual physicians online. You need to be able to filter if the information that you stumbled upon is accurate.
Browse different medical sites so you can pick a site you are most comfortable with. There are free sites where you can ask anything and everything to the doctor but there are those that will charge you before you can ask a doctor a question.
Read reviews online. The more reviews that you read, the more likely you are to get a more complete understanding of a particular doctor. In addition, look for specific details on the review sites, especially about specific examples of what the doctor did right or wrong. Search for patterns as well. If you found complaints about a particular doctor, read about the complaints. If a specific complaint or pattern of complaints is found from more than one patient, look for doctors elsewhere. Try to distinguish between complaints about the doctor's staff, and complaints about the doctor. Many excellent doctors are good at practicing medicine, but not so good at managing a large staff. This can lead to frustrations with the administrative services provided by their office, but it doesn't mean that you can't trust the doctor.

Various doctor sites that you can use to find reputable doctors include:

Physician directories - These sites provide readers a list of basic facts about a doctor and their location. The list also includes such information as doctor's education, experience, and practice locations.
Board certification sites - For more comprehensive information about the education and training of a doctor, search sites like the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Osteopathic Association. Learning the capabilities of a doctor is important so that you are able to know if a particular doctor can help you with your query.
Physician ratings and ranking sites - Knowing how competent a doctor is should also be your consideration when searching for a physician online. These sites have sophisticated algorithms analyzing a doctor's competency, but they can be 'gamed', so use them only as one factor in your search. Most sites also include patients' opinions and reviews to help you out in your evaluation.
Government-source licensing and experience sites - What these sites tell you is whether a particular doctor is licensed to practice his or her profession. Here, you can also find information about disciplinary actions.
Personal health advice sites - When you visit medical or health sites, there is often a doctor or expert's corner where you can ask about related medical questions. You can also use the information you found here in your search.

When you have found the right doctor, make a list of questions you want to ask before the visit. Research these questions before the appointment. Doctors are usually rushed for time, and they will give a better response to specific questions from a knowledgeable patient.

Laura Brown is an acne researcher for fun, and makes a living as a contractor relationship manager at Sharperoo.

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Finding a Good Doctor For Your Aging Loved One

Finding a good doctor for an elderly loved one can be a challenge. Many rural areas and smaller towns do not have gerontologists available. This means that a family will need to look at the non-specialists available in their area to provide medical care for their loved one.

Look for a family practitioner or general practice physician to be the primary care physician for your loved one. General and family practitioners are trained to treat all aspects of a person's health and well-being even though they have not specialized in a specific field. They treat the elderly as well as newborns, children and adults for everything from a splinter to a more serious illness.

Some things to consider are:

1. Health Insurance Coverage

Choosing a doctor can be based upon several factors. One of the first aspects to look at is whether or not the patient's health coverage is accepted by the physician being considered. Most physicians will accept Medicare but it's important to determine whether or not they will accept Medicaid and/or the supplemental policy if one is available. If the doctor will accept the health coverage, the next thing to look at is accessibility.

2. Location and Accessibility

It is important to choose a doctor whose office is located close enough to be easily accessed for routine care and emergencies. If the elderly loved one is homebound, a physician who understands this and is willing to work around this detail to provide care is ideal.

Physicians can order home health nurses to draw blood, administer injections, take vitals signs and other basic medical procedures then report to the doctor. These procedures would normally be done at the doctor's office, but when dealing with a homebound patient, getting them into the office may be a problem.

In addition, when transporting an elderly homebound loved one, distance to the doctor's office can play a part in the convenience of the location. Determine if the time spent driving and the distance to and from a doctor's office makes the doctor in question an acceptable choice for your loved one's needs. If the doctor requires that your loved one must been seen at the office frequently, then distance can be an important factor when choosing the physician.

3. Office Hours

When choosing a doctor there are a few important questions about the doctor's schedule that you should ask. What kind of office hours does the doctor hold? Do they have evening or weekend hours? How can you get in touch with them when the office is closed? Are the physicians who cover the "on-call" hours acceptible to you?

4. Hospital Choices

Most doctors have privileges at specific hospitals. When choosing a doctor, it is important to find out which hospital or hospitals the doctor has privileges at. This is the same hospital the patient would go to for emergency care, tests and surgeries in most cases. The size, location and reputation of the hospital may play a large role in your decision to choose or not choose a specific doctor. Some towns and cities have specialty hospitals for certain conditions. If your loved one has a condition that is treated by one of these specialty hospitals, it is important to determine if the primary physician has priviledges there.

5. Personality

Even the most qualified and credentialed doctor may not be the best choice for your loved one's personal physician if their personality clashes with yours. You'll probably want to choose a doctor that you genuinely like and feel comfortable with. Remember that you will need to be working closely with this person to advocate for the best health care for your loved one. Imagine my surprise when I asked my father's physician if he might be discharged in the afternoon only to hear him say "What part of HE WILL BE DISCHARGED TOMORROW MORNING did you not understand?" However, there are also surgeons that I have worked with in the past who had terrible bed-side manners yet they are the ones with whom I would have trusted my life.

Choose a doctor who will take the time to speak with you as you advocate for your loved one's health care. The doctor should be willing to listen to your concerns and answer your questions to your satisfaction. You may want to consider a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) because their philosophy is to spend more time with the patient in order to provide more holistic care. Remember, you are hiring them and paying them for their time. The days of the primadonna physician OUGHT to be over.

6. The physician's staff.

Do you like the physician's staff? Are the doctor's employees personable, respectful and pleasant? If you find receptionists, nurses and other staff members to be rude, then perhaps you should consider other physicians. These are the people you will be working with to schedule appointments, update prescriptions and access patient information. If you find them difficult to work with initially, it might improve over time but don't expect it to automatically occur.

Ask the doctor if they have a Family Nurse Practitioner or a Physician's Assistant in practice with them. These medical professionals assist doctors in caring for patients in many private practices. Decide if this is acceptable to you for your loved one's care. If not, then you may need to continue looking or specify in the patient records that care must be provided by the doctor. Keep in mind though that Nurse Practitioners and Physician's Assistants generally have more time to spend with the patient and are trained to be patient advocates. They are also often more accessible.

After taking all of these factors into consideration, decide which physician you would like to care for your loved one. Schedule a new patient appointment and commit to making the new relationship work.

Shelley Webb has been a registered nurse for almost 30 years, with experience in the fields of neonatal intensive care, dialysis, case management and eldercare. When her father came to live with her in 2005, the advantages of her medical experience became clear. Due to his dementia and congestive heart failure, her father was not able to care for himself alone any longer and so she took over these duties.

Having experienced the helplessness, frustration, overwhelm and even loneliness that caregiving for an aging parent brings, Shelley is well aware of the emotional and educational support that caregivers need and so she began The Intentional Caregiver web site. With its weekly newsletter, daily news updates and monthly audio interviews of experts in eldercare and supporting services, Shelley strives to encourage and educate caregivers so that they can be empowered to provide the best possible care for themselves while caring for their aging loved one(s).

In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, raising chickens, ballet classes and wine tasting.

Please see: http://www.IntentionalCaregiver.com

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Finding a Good Doctor

As a practicing family doctor, it's easy for me to figure out how to choose a great doctor. Let me tell you the secrets in finding the best one for you and what I tell my family and friends.

Look for the following:

* Board certification

* Report card on quality

* Licensing / public reporting

As a doctor, I know many doctors who have great bedside manner but aren't particularly reliable in getting the right medical care you deserve and these traits separate the so-so doctors from the truly excellent ones.

If you've found one that meets all of the criteria and you know is in in your insurance plan, has convenient office hours and easy access, then I'll give some tips on what to look for to determine if she has excellent bedside manner.

Importance of Board Certification

Your physician should be board certified in his field of expertise. Think of it as the difference between hiring a certified public accountant (CPA) and someone who just files taxes for you. While you might get the same result, if difficult issues come up, you may not get the best advice. Given how much we are all paying for medical care, why would you opt for someone who wasn't board certified?

To carry this distinction, your doctor must have graduated from an accredited residency program as well as passed the passed the governing board's certification exam. The examination may be a one-day or two-day written test. Depending on the medical specialty, test takers may also need to take an oral examination.

To maintain their board certification, physicians are required to devote a certain number of hours per year to additional medical education. Doctors often fulfill this requirement by attending conferences and seminars. In addition, doctors must re-certify with a repeat examination every few years to continue their status. Given all of these requirements, a board-certified doctor will often provide the most up-to-date medical care. Ensure that your doctor is board certified. As a recent article noted, doctors most likely to provide the wrong medical care for colon cancer screening were doctors who were NOT board certified.

Your physician may display his board certificate in the office. Some certificates may not have an expiration date because in the past, physicians only needed to take the exam once. It was good for life. This is no longer true. Current graduates can expect to retake the exam every seven to ten years.

Learn more and research your doctor at the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Report Card on Quality.

Find out if your doctor is practicing the latest most up to date medical care by checking out his report card on quality. Is he doing the right things to keep you healthy?

For example, unfortunately in the United States patients who have suffered a heart attack get drastically different care and many don't get the life saving medication they need to prevent a future event. Less than 50 percent of heart attack patients in Mississippi receive this medication known as a beta blocker. Yet in Massachusetts, nearly every heart attack patient is taking it. This failure to prescribe the medication simply was whether the doctor consistently followed the guidelines established by the American Heart Association. It wasn't whether the patient could afford the medication since all the patients received the same insurance, Medicare.

A review of 20,000 patients from 12 metropolitan areas showed that 24 percent of breast cancer patients, 27 percent of pre-natal patients, 31 percent of low back pain patients, 32 percent of coronary heart disease patients, and 35 percent of high blood pressure patients did NOT receive the recommended care developed by expert medical committees.

If your doctor isn't doing the right things that experts recommend, then what else is he doing wrong?

See if your doctor has applied for the NCQA quality recognition designation in any of the following programs - Physician Practice Connections, Heart/Stroke, Diabetes, or Back Pain. This designation is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. To have this distinction, doctors must show the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) that they are doing the right things.

You can only use these aspect on primary care doctors (except for the physician practice connections which can be any doctor), like family doctors or internists, as other doctors don't typically participate in these medical problems or illnesses.

Licensing / public reporting

Although your physician does not need to be board certified to practice medicine, he does need to be licensed. Find your own state medical board by going to the Federation of State Medical Boards or simply Google your state (like Connecticut) and medical board.

Each state provides different public information about its doctors. This typically includes the name of the physician, his license number, when the license was issued, and when it expires. Other states provide additional information like history of malpractice suits, felony convictions, or disciplinary action by the medical board. Some states split up the licensing and disciplinary functions into two different departments or websites. While at the state website, look for a link either for physician profile or credential search.

The first three items, board-certification, report card on quality, and licensing / public reporting I know is unlikely things you would have come up with.

Bedside Manner

So now that you've found doctors that fulfill these basic requirements, what really is important for all of us is our doctors' bedside manner. If you have friends who are medical assistants, nurses, or others in health care, ask for recommendations. Often they see us when we are the most stressed. If they like working with us, then it is likely that they will recommend us.

Not sure you got the best? Here is how you know.

Does she...

* Sit down?

* Listen?

* Know your medical history?

* Involve you in the decision making process or get your perspective?

* Ask you - do you have any other questions?

* Finally, most importantly, does she always wash her hands?

Follow this advice and feel extremely confident that you have a great doctor!

Davis Liu, M.D., is a practicing board-certified family physician and author of the book Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely - Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Learn more about what you must do to stay well at http://www.davisliumd.com and at http://www.davisliumd.blogspot.com.

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Finding a Doctor

Switching doctors may seem like a daunting task, still it may be necessary when we move or the doctor we usually see retires.

This article provides some tips for locating another primary physician and is useful for senior citizens and those coordinating their elder care.

One of the first things to consider is the type of doctor that is best. Generally, senior citizens can choose among the following for basic healthcare needs:


General practitioner: healthcare providers than have no specific focus and can address a wide range of medical problems
Family practitioner: this is similar to a general practitioner, except they may be more experienced in providing care to alarger variety of age groups
Internist: these physicians practice specifically on adults and have various specialties depending on training
Geriatricians: focus is on senior citizens

Once you know which kind of doctor will fit your needs the best, a good place to start looking is with people you know. Family and friends can provide good first-hand experience and advise about doctors that they see and can make recommendations. Or, if you are already receiving health care services from a different type of provider, such as an in home health care agency, they may be able to recommend a doctor that they work with. It is good to have a few options in case some of the doctors are not taking new patients. Finally, if this does not prove useful, contacting a hospital, medical society, physician referral service, or medical schools can lead to more names of physicians. If you use Medicare or Medicaid, you may want to check with your plan's membership services office to check the list of doctors they provide for. 

Typically, senior citizens who seek healthcare will need medical insurance which pays for visits to the doctor or expensive medical treatments deemed necessary by a physician. Medicare health insurance is a government program that most senior citizens qualify for due to their age and limited resources. Senior citizens with Medicare pay a monthly fee in exchange for hospital and prescription drug coverage, however plans will vary by cost, types of coverage, and eligibility.

Once you find a new doctor and have a secure method of paying for healthcare, your old doctor will facilitate the switch by providing medical records to the new doctor that you choose. However, make sure that you have visited the new doctor and are certain that you wish to switch to that particular one. 

It is important to look for doctors who are trained, competent, and take the time to get to know you. This type of relationship with a doctor is the most conducive to preventing health issues and efficiently managing existing health issues. To find this kind of information about a doctor, it is helpful to call the offices where these doctors work. Office receptionists can give 

information about:


Office policies (what types of patients they see, walk-in hours, appointments, etc.)
Insurance the office takes / whether they file insurance claims for you
Payment methods / whether they take Medicare
Local hospitals that work with the office for patients who need diagnostic work or treatment
Board certification of the doctor(s) who work at the office for specialties that they practice
Communication skills of the doctor, how well she/he will explain things or listen to you
Location of the doctor's office
Whether the lab work is done at the office or another location, which would determine if the patient has to travel to other locations
Types and number of doctors working at the office
Coverage when the doctor is out of town or unavailable
Whether the doctor(s) see senior citizens often or others who may experience your specific health problems
Whether the doctor(s) makes referrals to other specialists
Whether the doctor(s) treats conditions most similar to yours

After researching the physician and calling the doctor's office, make an appointment. To prepare for the first appointment, it is a good idea to make a list of questions that you may still have about your own health concerns as well as any extra information about the doctor. It is also a good idea to have a list of medications, vitamins, or other non-food supplements aken regularly. 

During the appointment, a nurse will usually see you first in order to take blood pressure and explain procedures if you are having trouble taking medications. When the doctor sees you, they will ask about your medical history or medical problems that have been in your family. They will then examine you. It is important to be prepared with medical records, lists of allergies you are aware of, or other information you think may be relevant for your doctor to know. Here are some questions that some people find helpful to ask their doctors:


Will you give me written instructions about my care?
May I bring a family member to doctor's visits?
Are you willing to talk to my family about my medical conditions?
Will you maintain my privacy if I ask you not to discuss my condition with anyone else?

After the appointment, make your own assessment about the quality of the visit. If you found the doctor helpful and easy to talk to, then you may want to stay with that doctor. Otherwise, you can make appointments with other doctors until you find one that fits your needs. Most importantly, you should find someone that you can work with and form a relationship with in order to make treating and diagnosing possible medical issues the most efficient.

The Caring Space
http://www.TheCaringSpace.com

David Crumrine at the Caring Space
We are an organization that connects caregivers and care seekers, providing an easy and affordable resource for families seeking care for friends/loved ones and caregivers seeking employment.

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4 Tips For Finding the Right Doctor

Whether you are looking for a second opinion from a doctor, or simply shopping for a new general practitioner, it's important to find the right match for your needs. Today, with so many choices, it's often difficult to know how to find a doctor who will be a good match. Hopefully, these four suggestions will get you on the right track.

Friends: Certainly, one of the best ways to find a new doctor is from your friends. Ask a wide selection of friends for their recommendations. Keep in mind certain criteria that you have, and share the criteria with your friends. Are you willing to drive far, or do you want a doctor within a 5 mile radius of your home or work? Do you need someone who is gentle and warm, or someone who is more matter-of-fact? Do you want a small practice, or are you more comfortable if many doctors are available for consultations?
Health Plan: Your health plan certainly has a list of recommended doctors. You can gather the list and start researching these specific doctors yourself. Find out which hospitals they are affiliated with and cross-check your list with a list of top doctor's in your area. You can often find lists of this sort published in the newspaper or in local magazines. Visit a few doctors at their offices and get a sense for the size of their practices, the amount of time they spend with each patient and their overall view and outlook on medicine. Schedule an appointment with two or three of the doctors at the top of your list and make your decision based on your face-to-face meetings.
Online Doctor Reviews: The internet has a wealth of information for finding a family doctor, OB, or other specialist. At many of these medical sites, you can review doctors' credentials and histories, look at patient recommendations and find out important information about each doctor. Make sure to check on the credentials of the doctors on your list. Check on their training and board certification at the American Medical Association. At some online medical rating sites, you can actually see a video clip of physicians to get a feel for their personality type; at other sites, they'll have a rating system from A to F to "grade" physicians. These sites are highly informative and should help you to narrow down the selection process.
Other Doctors: While some doctors don't want to offer up a recommendation for other doctors, many physicians will be willing to do so. If you are looking for a specialist, for instance, ask your general practitioner for recommendations. If it's a general physician that you need, you might ask your OB or your eye doctor for recommendations. Particularly in smaller towns, doctors really do know each other, and you can offer get the best recommendations for physicians from others in the field. If you don't want to directly ask a doctor to recommend another doctor, simply ask your doctor who he or she uses as a general practitioner. If the doctor is good enough for them, chances are that they could work for you as well!

Keep in mind when looking for a doctor that you are the client. You have the right to look for the right doctor for your needs. If a doctor makes you feel less than important, or if one makes you feel silly for looking so carefully for the right doctor, cross them off of your list. Your health care maters and you have the right to do the research that you need to do in order to feel comfortable with your care. Make sure to start this search while you are healthy, and not in need of major medical care. It is highly recommended that you search for a physician with a level head, and while you aren't looking for immediate care. This will help you to make a more thoughtful, educated decision.

The author of this article, Emily Salisbury, has been lucky enough to find excellent doctors including Josyann Abisaab whenever she and her family have needed medical care.

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