How to Find a Physician
According to a Consumer Reports survey, people who found doctors through a trusted friend or family member had the most favorable experiences. After all, choosing a doctor is a personal decision. Still, there's a practical side to finding the right doctor to provide quality care at the best cost. Thanks to medical insurance company and government websites, an abundance of information exists to foster informed decision-making, and it's just a few computer keystrokes away.
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Instructions
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Go to the website listed on the medical insurance identification card.
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Locate the doctor look-up, physician finder or provider directory tool on the website.
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Enter the information requested. This may include ZIP code, name of medical plan or network (listed on the medical identification card), type of doctor and other criteria.
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Review results and narrow the list of possible doctors based on personal priorities (for example, the doctor's background, office location, languages spoken, hospital affiliations, credentials, etc.).
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Meet the doctor to ensure personal requirements, such as whether the doctor takes time to answer questions, are fulfilled.
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Tips & Warnings
Different online doctor search tools provide different types of information. Consider visiting additional websites with doctor search tools--like the American Medical Association's (www.ama-assn.org)--to learn as much as possible about potential doctors before making a decision. As an alternative to the Internet, call an insurance company's customer service department and request a provider directory. Locate the phone number on the medical insurance identification card.
Doctors periodically change networks and insurance plan participation. Also, many medical plans require use of a participating doctor to receive the highest benefits. In fact, some plans don't provide any benefits for care provided by a non-participating physician. To avoid unexpected costs, call a potential doctor's office to confirm plan and network participation. Consider starting with a primary care physician who is trained to treat the entire body, rather than just certain parts. Why? Which type of doctor is best for arm pain--an orthopedist, a neurosurgeon or a cardiologist? A primary care physician can help pinpoint the issue, provide care when appropriate and make specialist referrals when necessary. This may reduce the potential for unnecessary, inappropriate and costly care.
