How do you find a doctor?

I'm looking for a Primary Care Physician and an Orthopedic doctor.

It's been probably 11 years since I've been to a PCP for a health check up. I want to go in and get the whole 9 yards. If asked I couldn't tell you anything about my blood pressure, cholesterol, heart health, if I'm at risk for this or that, I don't even know my blood type! I've never been sick and generally feel well all the time but I think it's time to learn a little more about my health status.

I really don't know anyone here that can give a recommendation so I'm basically forced to blindly choose.

But how? How do you know it's a good one?

Do I just do a web search for doctors in my area, close my eyes and pick?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

Pick a woman.

Ask your friends.

Ask a nurse. Somebody in your circle has to be a nurse, married to a nurse, has a nurse for a sister, etc...

The nurses know everything about the doctors they work with. Are they competent, do they care about the patients, push prescriptions and shove you out the door, run millions of tests you don't need to raise their billing, believe me: the nurses know everything.

I try to choose doctors that are on staff at my regional hospital, along with checking their history via the web. I think asking your friends would be a good idea too.

The only people I know here are those I work with but I guess I can ask them.

Any websites that keep legit doctor info?

Check your insurance payer website for a list of in-network physicians in your area. Most are portals as well. Review the lists - you can often narrow down the choices from there. Then check the state licensing board to see if any complaints are on file.

Expect to wait a good while for that first appointment. Many good physicians have retired or left medical practices all together. Those that remain are often captive physicians associated with the local hospital system depending on your area.

Usually from recommendations from family, friends, coworkers, other doctors I trust, etc.

The previous nurse suggestion is a good one - nurses know everything ;-) If you have insurance you should be part of a physician's network and your insurance company can help you find choices in that network. Also, try and get any records you have from your previous PCP or their contact info so your new PCP can request your records.

Finding a good PCP takes some digging but with friend, nurse or even doctor/surgeon recommendations you should be able to find a nice one. Just be proactive and don't settle for anyone you don't feel absolutely comfortable with. Good luck!

if your an older male pick a petite Asian female, they have small fingers.

I always go blindly (as I value no one's opinion on this matter) and decide for myself on the first visit. If I think something's off about the doctor, I get another medical opininion.

Tom Baker and David Tennant.

Done!

Suticat said:

Ding, ding, ding... Give this man a cigar.

As a nurse I can tell you first hand he speaks the truth. Just be forewarned that we are not to speak poorly of doctors, apparently they don't like the truth being told. So if you ask us about one and we say nothing, that should tell you everything you need to know...

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First, as a nurse, should you really be promoting tobacco smoking?

Second, I'd say that "not speaking ill" (no pun intended) thing applies much farther than just doctors. If you go around "talking smack" about someone you know professionally, eventually it gets back to them. ("Hey, did you know that that Toothpick character said you are the worst beard-sculptor in the tri-state area?") Don't put them in the awkward position of having to say something negative ... phrase it so they can just focus on the positive ... ask them which doctors they particularly recommend.

I would agree with most. Ask around and see if anyone you know or any friends of friends are in the medical field at all (Doc, Nurse, Pharmacist, Drug Rep, Security guard at a hospital, etc). Some of my best recommendations have come from a friend who is a pharmaceutical sales rep, so he's worked with every major doc in our area in 3 different fields over the past 20 years. If that fails, go to your insurance web site and search for docs in your area. I try to pick docs that are somewhere in between home and work and are affiliated with good hospitals. Make a list and then check out web reviews. Take the reviews with a grain of salt, since most poeple don't bother to submit reviews for positive experiences. But they're still helpful.

When I needed a foot doctor earlier this year I just looked on-line for one close to me with good web reviews. I got lucky. He turned out to be ok. I didn't like my last PCP & stopped seeing him several years ago. I haven't looked for a replacement yet.

So seems like my providers website is the best option for me.

I did a search before I posted this thread and there were something like 800 doctors around me. Which led me to post this. I needed an easier option, but I guess we all gotta start somewhere.

BSAGuy said:

Ask your friends.

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Ditto. It can be daunting, and I don't have much faith in those sites claiming to grade doctors. Personal recommendations are the best, IMHO.