How to find a Doctor?

How to find a Doctor?

| | | | |

Doctor

We want to help you find the doctor that's right for you!

What you need to know before choosing a doctor...

FIRST STEP TO FINDING A DOCTOR IS...CLEANING UP ANY OR ALL UNCERTAINTIES.

WHAT IS AN UNCERTAINTY?

The ways in which one might be uncertain about any specific issue(e.g. seeing something as fundamentally unpredictable; having too much, too little, or contradictory information; suspecting that the information is irrelevant to one's case, unrealiable or invalid.

Competent Communication requires a clear understanding of the uncertainties patients, care providers, and families might be experiencing.
Problematic Integration Theory helps create awareness and sisitivity for the subject.
Effective Health Communication depends in part on the sensitivity to the range of this content, the many issues about which participants may be uncertain.

FINDING CLARITY.

We experience many different forms of uncertainty; however, awareness of these uncertainties bring clarity on the matter, a step toward finding the solution and the right doctor.

Stethoscope

SECOND STEP TO FINDING A DOCTOR IS...MAKING CHOICES THAT SUIT YOU BEST

LOCATION

How close is the doctor's office to you? Almost all health care providers will issue the health carrier a directory of doctors along with the locaton of the office, this is a helpful tool.

SEX/GENDER

Do you prefer a female or male doctor? Children are not often affected by the choice of sex/gender but it does influence one's choice or preference later in life. As a child or young adult, they will continue to go to their family Pediatrician but as they age and health problems increase a specialized doctor is often needed. The relationship that one has with their first doctor will dictate whether they will choose female over male or male over female.

REFFERAL

Referral from a friend/family member or a doctor? It is human nature for someone to attend a doctor's office through referral. It is common that family members and friends may attend the same doctor as a result of referral through word of mouth; this of course is a good source or tool to finding a doctor. A referral through doctor often takes place when one might be going to their routine check up and something severe is found and needs special attention, it is at this time that the doctor will refer the patient to another doctor that specializes in the area of the problem at hand.

INTERNET

The use of technology is one of the fastest ways to gather information that you might be looking for.The internet is another source that provides information on various doctors. Using this source is very easy and can help narrow down a search to a minimal amount of time.

Doctor Directory

www.dr-411.com

Find a Physician

www.scottsdalehealthcareohs.com

Phoenix Magazine Top Doctors 2006

374 Doctors Phoenix 602-253-6000

www.phoenixmag.com/topocs06

Get Doctors Reviews

www.physicianports.com

Doctor

THE THIRD STEP TO FINDING A DOCTOR IS...CHECKING THE DOCTORS CREDENTIALS: HOW CAN I CHECK THEM?

How can I find out about a doctor's training and whether the doctor has ever been in trouble with regulatory authorities?

Information about a doctor's training and experience can usually be obtained from the doctor's office, a local medical society (that the doctor is a member of), a local hospital (if the doctor is on staff), or an HMO to which the docotr belongs. A few state licensing boards issue information about disciplinary actions, but getting it may be cumbersome. Several online organizations provide easy access to various amounts of information. This service is free of charge. www.ihealthpilot.org/research/lookup.shtml

The American Medical Association's, AMA Physician Select, provides limited information on the traing and certification status of all of the more than 690,000 medical and osteopathic physicians currently licensed in the United States. It does not list disciplinary actions. Searches can be done only one state at a time. This service is free of charge. http://www.ama-assn.org/

The American Board of Medical Specialities (ABMS) Certified Doctor Verification Service can be used to check whether a doctor is certified by one of the 24 recognized specialty boards. The searches yield no other information. All states can be searched simultaneously. This site is primarily useful for checking the certification status of a doctor whose location is unknown. Registration at this site is required, but this service is free of charge. www.abms.org/newsearch.asp

Traveling

Health risks are one of the most common concerns when traveling internationally. For most people they worry that if they get sick while traveling where will they find a doctor. Many people are concerned with the fact that if they get sick can they find a doctor that speaks the same language as they do so they can communicate their symptoms, understand questions, etc.

A non profit organization was founded in 1960 called International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers to easy some of these concerns. IAMAT is a helpful tool to better assist you when you travel. They provide a worldwide network of physicians who speak english fluently. IAMAT is free of charge and gives you a membership card that entitles you to different rates when seeing doctors, directory of English speaking physicians in 125 different countries, free publications, etc.

International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers

http://www.iamat.org/