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Finding a Doctor
Choosing a physician who will meet your health needs and is capable of helping you make health care decisions is an important first step in developing a personal health plan. Many people have a difficult time choosing a physician. Unlike other personal services, you should not look for a doctor in the yellow pages. It is important to put some thought and research into selecting a personal physician. Get information on how to choose a doctor.
It is also important to check out your doctor’s education and whether or not they are in good standing in their profession by logging on to the following web sites:
Once you obtain some options for doctors you may want to call the office and obtain further information about the practice. Questions that you may want to ask are:
- What are the office hours?
- How many locations do they have?
- How long does it take to get an appointment?
- What happens if you have to cancel an appointment? Will you incur a fee?
- What do you do if you have a problem after office hours?
- Who covers for them when they are gone or on a vacation?
- What hospitals do they practice at?
Once you select a doctor you should make an appointment to interview him/her. Many doctor’s practices offer interviews for new patients and will give a tour of the facility. Sometimes they charge a fee which is then subtracted from the first co-pay if you choose to stay with them.
During the interview it is important to feel comfortable talking with the doctor. Also take note of the waiting room and front office atmosphere. Are people friendly or rushed and short with your questions? Some other questions you may want to ask are:
- Did people really listen to my questions and answer them?
- Did I feel comfortable with the doctor and have an ease of conversation?
- Did the doctor answer my questions in terms that I could understand?
- Did the doctor spend enough time with me?
Sometimes it takes awhile to develop a comfortable rapport with a physician so it may be that you want to give it a try and see how it progresses.
For additional information, visit Finding a Doctor Resources.
Note: This web page contains links to one or more web pages that are outside the FCPS network. FCPS does not control the content or relevancy of these pages.