Choosing Doctors: The Cornerstone of Good Medical Care

One cornerstone of good medical care is an experienced, approachable primary care doctor who can coordinate care and help a patient connect with specialists, as needed. If your loved one doesn't have a primary care doctor or if the current doctor isn't a good fit, you may need to help find a new one. The following tips may be useful.

Check with insurance providers first. While Medicare and Medicaid policies usually offer people free rein to choose doctors, some doctors won't take many, or any, new Medicare (or Medicaid) patients. On the other hand, most HMOs and other types of insurance restrict patients to certain preferred providers.

Ask around. Recommendations from friends, neighbors, and co-workers can give you important insights. Is the doctor easy to talk to? Does he or she return phone calls swiftly? How quickly can you get an appointment? Consider how available and open to questions a doctor will be.

Schedule an initial meeting. Once you gather a few names, see if any of these doctors would be willing to hold an initial meeting. (Some physicians will do meet-the-doctor visits, while others won't.) Preferably both you and the patient should attend. Ask plenty of questions: Does the doctor often see patients of this age or with these ailments? Is he or she comfortable working with other family members? How would any disagreements over medical advice be approached? At which hospitals does the doctor have admitting privileges? If a person is in a hospital or nursing home, will the doctor visit him or her there and help coordinate care? And, of course, any primary care doctor you choose should be board-certified in family or internal medicine.

Consider location. A primary care doctor should be able to provide local referrals, but sometimes the best care isn't available nearby. Research the options. Decide whether the promise of cutting-edge treatment is worth the travel required and, possibly, being separated from supportive family and friends at a difficult time. A local medical team may be able to arrange for an experimental treatment.

Ask about access to health information. The 2003 privacy law amendments to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have repercussions for caregivers. Doctors and other health professionals are required by law to have written permission to share health and medical billing information with a third party. Although some providers will share information if you identify yourself as a caregiver, others will not. A health care proxy or signed waiver permitting information to be shared may be necessary. There is no single form for this, although providers may have a preference. More information is available at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa or by calling the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 866-627-7748.

Source: from Caregiver’s Handbook, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.  Use of Content | Medical Disclaimer