Finding the best primary care physican for you is essential to getting the best medical care. On the following slides are questions that can help you find your perfect match. You may not be able to get everything you want in one doctor, so make a list of your top five priorities and start from there. Remember, you might have to meet with more than one doctor to find one you connect with. Just because a close friend likes a doctor doesn’t mean that you will. Trust your instincts.
Do you want a doctor who speaks your language or who is from the same culture? Many medical professionals recommended this because it makes practicing good medicine so much easier. You could get better medical care if you choose a doctor who understands your norms, your culture and your language.
Do you want a doctor who will see you if you are in the hospital? If so, you must ask this question of the doctor’s office staff before your visit. Some doctors do not visit their patients in the hospital. Either they have specified doctors in their practice who visit all their patients or a hospitalist sees all the patients there.
Do you need a doctor affiliated with the hospital you most likely will go to? You probably do. Before you meet a doctor, ask the front office staff which hospitals she is affiliated with. If you do have to be in a hospital, you will want your doctor to see you there, and if she does not have privileges at your hospital, she will not be able to. Try to have all your doctors affiliated with the same hospital so they can communicate with one another.
Does the doctor use electronic health records? “If not, run for the hills,” says David Lee Scher, MD, FACP, FACC, FHRS. “It tells you that the physician thinks the investment isn’t worth it. Electronic health records are a patient advocate tool, and if a physician isn’t invested in that, it’s telling.”
Does the doctor take your health insurance or Medicare, etc...? Ask if the doctor plans on continuing to take your health insurance. There are no guarantees, but ask anyway.
