By Richard Colgan, M.D.
Director of Medical Student Education
Department of Family and Community Medicine
Editor’s Note: Dr. Colgan is the author of “Advice to the Young Physician: On the Art of Medicine.” Also, get more tips from Dr. Colgan on this topic by listening to this podcast.
Choosing a primary care doctor can be difficult these days, largely because there are relatively few of them available. Those doctors who are serving their communities are often being stretched thin while trying to meet the demands of running a practice, answering to insurance companies and seeing more patients in less time. But you are the patient, and you deserve to be well served. So, here a few tips on how to choose a primary care doctor.
A smart way to choose a primary care doctor is to ask trusted family members or friends who they see, and whether or not they are happy with that person. If so, you may be pleased seeing them as well. Doctors are often chosen by patients who find them to be available, affable and able. This time honored tradition of choosing a doctor based on the three A’s still applies today.
Most practicing physicians have also gone through residency training in their specific fields. This allows these physicians to sit for specialty boards, and while board certification does not guarantee that you “have a good one,” it does lend that physician a certain stamp of approval by his or her respective specialty board.
Because access to primary care physicians is becoming increasingly difficult, a good question to ask is what is your doctor’s policy for urgent visits. Does your physician have a process in place that allows him or her to fit you in for a bad cough or other acute needs? This process could include the doctor having several empty spots in his or her schedule each half day, or being a member of a group practice in which one of the physicians is always available for walk-in appointments.
But perhaps the best way to choose a primary care doctor is by seeing that physician in the office for a consultation. Does the doctor seem to have time for you? Does he or she seem truly interested in you, or do you feel like you are being rushed out the door? At a minimum, the doctor you choose should be kindly, civil and show you respect. I recommend giving the physician-patient relationship a few visits to see if you and the doctor are compatible. After seeing a primary care doctor a few times, you will likely be able to tell if the two of you are “hitting it off.” If not, it’s probably best to keep searching for someone who you believe can meet your needs.
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