How Do You Search for a New Doctor?

[Qs Laptop]

I'm now on Medicare with Medigap Plan N so I'm no longer tethered to a network of physicians. I can go anywhere that accepts Medicare.

In my case I'm looking for a urologist. I've just emailed my primary care physician for a recommendation. I can ask friends for a recommendation, though that's going to be a limited source of information.

Searching Google for "Urologists in <Name of City>" gives limited results and I wonder if they are sponsored search results. Suspiciously, most of the doctors listed on the sites i.e. "Healthgrades" or "MediFind" are affiliated with the same hospital.

How do you go about finding a new doctor?

 

[Souschef]

I got a notice that my PCP was retiring. Since we have Medicare Advantage, it was a 2 step process.
First, we got a list of PCP's from SCAN, then we got a list of providers from our HMO.
We selected a few that were in network at both places that were near us. Then genius DW looked at the ages of the ones we selected. We picked the youngest one, and made our initial contact to fill out all the paperwork to get our files transferred. We then contacted SCAN to get new ID cards.

 

[Car-Guy]

I got a notice that my PCP was retiring. Since we have Medicare Advantage, it was a 2 step process.
First, we got a list of PCP's from SCAN, then we got a list of providers from our HMO.
We selected a few that were in network at both places that were near us. Then genius DW looked at the ages of the ones we selected. We picked the youngest one, and made our initial contact to fill out all the paperwork to get our files transferred. We then contacted SCAN to get new ID cards.

Interesting, I tend to look for and pick the older ones.

 

[Silver]

If there is a university affiliated hospital/health care system in your area, start there. Urology is a surgical specialty, and I prefer someone involved in teaching the current practices in their field. Most health care systems have a way to search for specialists online.

If you are not near a teaching hospital (a hospital that takes surgical residents in rotation from a university) I would simply choose someone, and discuss their past experience and outcomes when providing whatever services you need. Hopefully you'll get a feel of how comfortable/confident they are. But specifically ask "What outcomes have you seen?" with whatever procedure/problem you are having.

Honestly, with neighborhood hospitals it's best guess. Just like everyone else in a job, some are better than others. If you need a surgical procedure, typically the more often a surgeon has done a procedure, they better they are at it. So....try and get someone who has a good amount of operating room experience already.

 

[Mark1]

....I've just emailed my primary care physician for a recommendation.

Searching Google for "Urologists in <Name of City>" gives limited results and I wonder if they are sponsored search results. Suspiciously, most of the doctors listed on the sites i.e. "Healthgrades" or "MediFind" are affiliated with the same hospital.


....

I always rely on the recommendation of my PCP for any specialist. If I don't trust my PMP, then I need a new one.

I'm not surprised by your search results, as search results seem entirely driven by advertising dollars.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Interesting, I tend to look for and pick the older ones.

I take the middle approach. I don't want older ones that might be set in their ways, not up on the latest procedures and breakthroughs, not tech savvy, and many tend to be arrogant because they're "so smart".

Younger ones have all the latest book knowledge but lack experience and practical knowledge.

So I take the Goldilocks approach: not too young not too old but just right. Someone aged 35 to 50. I also look at their educational background, well known medical schools are a slight advantage.

 

[OldShooter]

I try to get a recommendation from my PCP but he doesn't seem interested in doing any research for me.

I look at resumes for docs who attended more prominent schools like Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Mayo, etc. I look for awards, postdoc work, and I look for docs who teach at the local university medical school. I do not look at the doctor rating sites; few of us are equipped to make technical judgments of a doc's expertise, so those sites are basically popularity contests. I'd much rather have a brilliant doc with lousy beside manner than vice versa.

Finally, on initial visits, I want someone who listens to what I have to say and does not jump to conclusions. I also listen for things like "I don't know." No one knows everything and someone who pretends to know everything is flat-out dangerous. My favorite doc said, early in relationship, "I suppose if I'm not going to treat you exactly according the standard protocol, I'd better explain why." This is a guy I can trust.

 

[Spock]

I look for one with a prostate about the same age as mine...
Worked great last time. Moving out of state so I gotta start over.

 

[sleddy]

If there is a university affiliated hospital/health care system in your area, start there. Urology is a surgical specialty, and I prefer someone involved in teaching the current practices in their field. Most health care systems have a way to search for specialists online.

I agree with this. No matter where I am living, I go back to Philly and UPenn. They have state of the art facilities and every specialty you can imagine 'in-house.' They are all in the same system so referrals are automated and information transfers. This is the future of healthcare, I think.

 

[savory]

Here is a podcast that impressed me, especially the part about when a doctor seems to have had enough time (best age) for maturing into their job and to place significant weight on their residency and perhaps as part of that analysis discount the school they attended.

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-can-you-choose-the-best-doctor/

 

[Car-Guy]

I take the middle approach. I don't want older ones that might be set in their ways, not up on the latest procedures and breakthroughs, not tech savvy, and many tend to be arrogant because they're "so smart".

Younger ones have all the latest book knowledge but lack experience and practical knowledge.

So I take the Goldilocks approach: not too young not too old but just right. Someone aged 35 to 50. I also look at their educational background, well known medical schools are a slight advantage.

About the same here and for some of the same reasons. However, I find many (not all) a bit arrogant.

 

[Car-Guy]

Here is a podcast that impressed me, especially the part about when a doctor seems to have had enough time (best age) for maturing into their job and to place significant weight on their residency and perhaps as part of that analysis discount the school they attended.

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-can-you-choose-the-best-doctor/

Just curious, I wonder if folks would rather have a doctor that graduated at the bottom of his/her class from one of the most prestigious medical schools or one that graduated from the top of his/her class from a not so well known school.

 

[Spock]

Just curious, I wonder if folks would rather have a doctor that graduated at the bottom of his/her class from one of the most prestigious medical schools or one that graduated from the top of his/her class from a not so well known school.

med schools in Grenada... not so much.
As schools move towards equity admissions vs merit the school attended becomes moot. The list changes quickly and mapping year graduated against policies adopted becomes impossible.

 

[OldShooter]

Just curious, I wonder if folks would rather have a doctor that graduated at the bottom of his/her class from one of the most prestigious medical schools or one that graduated from the top of his/her class from a not so well known school.

It's usually impossible to know where a doc graduated in his/her class, but I think it's reasonable to expect that docs admitted to a top school and who succeeded in graduating would be a better choice than one from a lesser school. No guarantees, of course, but I use it as one of my criteria.

Here is an example of the kind of thing I like to see: (and a doc I selected) " ... she was the valedictorian of her high school class. She attended Cornell University as an undergraduate, graduating summa cum laude in mathematics with distinction in all subjects (top 5% of her class). ... She was selected as a Presidential Scholar and received several research awards. She completed her doctor of medicine degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, graduating first in her class. She received a Dean’s Award and Lange Medical Student Award each year of medical school. She also received the Franklin Paine Mall Prize in anatomy, Hewlett-Packard Top Medical Graduate Award, and the Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Award. She was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and won research awards as well as the prestigious William Stewart Halsted Award in surgery. She completed four years of cardiac surgery residency at Johns Hopkins ..."

 

[disneysteve]

Interesting, I tend to look for and pick the older ones.

Doctor Steve here.



Just last month I saw my new PCP for the first time. I purposely picked a younger doctor.


Why? Several reasons. For one, I want someone who will still be around when I'm old. I'm 58. I don't want to get established with someone who may retire in 5 or 10 years. Of course, there's no guarantee she won't move but I can't account for that.


More importantly, I want someone who is current in their knowledge, not someone who has been doing things the same way for 25 years. I will freely admit that I have become a better doctor since leaving my private practice 5 years ago. I now work with many younger providers and we have frequent conversations about current treatment protocols, we have an evidence-based medicine committee that gives reports at our monthly staff meetings (which I was a member of for a while), and these folks were trained much more recently than I on "modern" medicine. So I wouldn't pick someone fresh out of residency but 5-10 years of experience is probably a sweet spot.



A tremendous amount has changed since I graduated med school 32 years ago, but fairly isolated in my private practice, I was still doing many things the "old" way. Not to say that I didn't make an effort to keep up or learn new things. I certainly did. But it's really tough to fully stay up to date without a lot of help.


As for the original question of how to choose a doctor, personal recommendations are best. Online rating and review services are essentially worthless. I wouldn't waste your time even looking at those. Ask your PCP. Ask any other specialists you already see. Ask friends and family, especially any who work in healthcare in the area. Ask coworkers. Ask at your house of worship. Anywhere where you have people who's opinions you value.

 

[grayv]

if you are just looking for names/locations, you could use the find-care lookups for some insurance plans





https://www.geha.com/find-care


https://www.tricare.mil/FindDoctor

 

[braumeister]

I purposely picked a younger doctor.

Why? Several reasons. For one, I want someone who will still be around when I'm old. I'm 58. I don't want to get established with someone who may retire in 5 or 10 years. Of course, there's no guarantee she won't move but I can't account for that.

More importantly, I want someone who is current in their knowledge, not someone who has been doing things the same way for 25 years.

This is exactly the way I approach it.

As for referrals to specialists, nearly all of mine have come from my PCP, and they were mostly outstanding.

 

[Dash man]

This is exactly the way I approach it.



As for referrals to specialists, nearly all of mine have come from my PCP, and they were mostly outstanding.

^^^^
Ditto

 

[big-papa]

I switched primary physicians about a decade ago and started with every review site I could find, before landing on the doc I use now. Scores were important, but more important were the actual comments that were written, which is where I paid the most attention.

I've generally done likewise for specialists as well, such as when I needed a kidney stone pulverized, shoulder surgery, and a fix for a herniated disc. No complaints, but I to tend to over-research things anyway.

 

[folivier]

Here's a similar question: would you consider a PA or Nurse Practitioner rather than a doctor?
In our case our PCP is older and getting close to retiring so we elected to see a NP under him. It's much easier to see her than him. She's much more into "newer" procedures and current knowledge. She answers our emails quicker. We feel she is more apt to stay with this practice.
So far, 3 years, we're very happy with seeing her.

 

[pacergal]

NP, PA or MD, I am comfortable with all of them. Working in the medical field, I have experienced NPs who were far better than the MD, and not shy about referrals if issues were complicated. Have also seen some excellent MDs and some really rotten MD/PA/NPs. So I think, as in all fields, there can be great and not so great medical providers.
You have to be comfortable with whomever you go to, and willing to change PCPs if not. You are your best advocate!

When we switched insurances a few years ago, I read the online blurb, reviews, and picked the one who seemed most aligned with what I wanted: female, mid 30-40's, well known Med School/Residiency program. I also checked her other listed certificates, etc.

 

[Rianne]

More importantly, I want someone who is current in their knowledge, not someone who has been doing things the same way for 25 years.

As for the original question of how to choose a doctor, personal recommendations are best. Online rating and review services are essentially worthless. I wouldn't waste your time even looking at those. Ask your PCP. Ask any other specialists you already see. Ask friends and family, especially any who work in healthcare in the area. Ask coworkers. Ask at your house of worship. Anywhere where you have people who's opinions you value.

Some referrals from friends and family tend toward liking the personality or bedside manner than expertise. When I had my mastectomy, my first question interviewing surgeons was, "how many mastectomies did you perform last year?" Her response was over 300. I chose her and she proved to be excellent.

Mayo Clinic is an 8-hour drive for me, and Johns Hopkins is the same. So, I have to be vigilant in finding a reasonable alternative. Mayo Clinic has saved several family and friends' lives and critical health issues no one else could. I believe the hospital system is also important. I'm not interested in the good old boy network where the system will support all the doctors. My PCP happens to be honest about that and steered me clear of a couple of docs in our system she had inside knowledge. My PCP is not afraid to ask me about my experiences over the years.

My DB got a hip replacement he did not need in FL. His hip did not even bother him, no pain. But the surgeon talked him into the surgery due to a knee replacement that "Might" affect his hip in the future. My PCP said FL is the wild west of medical care. Obviously, not all docs in FL are like that, but that was her general consensus and I trust that.

 

[Car-Guy]

Here's a similar question: would you consider a PA or Nurse Practitioner rather than a doctor?
In our case our PCP is older and getting close to retiring so we elected to see a NP under him. It's much easier to see her than him. She's much more into "newer" procedures and current knowledge. She answers our emails quicker. We feel she is more apt to stay with this practice.
So far, 3 years, we're very happy with seeing her.

Doesn't really matter to me, but it just so happens that all of mine are MD's at this time. The DW sees a NP and I have thought about switching and seeing her too.. I may do that at some point since she is much closer to home. (15mins VS an hour drive each way)

 

[MRG]

In the case of multiple urologists, my former PCP recommended him. He turned out great, and she got fired.

I've had really good primary care providers and some that were trash. One left me in significant pain, the kind that makes you go for walks and not come home, for months. Another denied I had a prior condition that my bloodwork proved I had. They didn't want to treat it.

Since then, I've had three new primary care providers with two excellent ones. Both happen to have MDs after their name, but I've had great treatment from NPs, too.

 

[REWahoo]

Here's a similar question: would you consider a PA or Nurse Practitioner rather than a doctor? ...She's much more into "newer" procedures and current knowledge.

In our case it is an emphatic yes to both the above statements.

DW and I had both become frustrated with the GP we had been with for about 10 years due to her inability to hire and maintain competent office staff in her practice. We tired of having to call repeatedly to renew a prescription, get a referral, etc. Once I had to go to her office in person and insist they call in a prescription refill while I waited and listened to be sure it was done.

In what turned out to be sheer luck, we befriended a young (mid 30's) couple that moved across the road from us, and learned she was in the process of becoming a NP. Long story short, she got her license and went to work at a new clinic near us (OK, 10 miles, but that's close in my world). We jumped at the chance to make the change.

That was a couple of years ago and it has worked out great. She insists we text her with whatever we need, even making a routine appointment. It is almost like having a concierge doctor and DW and I both feel very comfortable talking with her as she is a friend as well as a medical professional.