Many patients ask us questions concerning health specialists in our community, and we have the occasion to refer to many facilities that are proficient in their respective areas. There are several considerations to make when in search for the “perfect doctor” which we will be discussing below:

1. The first thing to consider when choosing a physician is determining who is the appropriate specialist for your condition, and inquire if the doctor has had much experiences with conditions such as yours. For example, last month a patient wanted a reference regarding an orthopedic surgeon who has experience with neck surgery. With my experience in Rockford, 99 percent of surgeries performed on the cervical spine (neck) are performed by neurosurgeons instead of orthopedic surgeons. In this case, I gave the patient a name of couple of neurosurgeons who have a good reputation, bed side manner and I felt would be a good match for the patient.

2. Ask for a reference from friends as well as someone in the health field. My wife woke up with abdominal pain one week after delivering our second child. I diagnosed her with having appendicitis, but was unfamiliar with general surgeons in Rockford. I called my favorite hospital, spoke to the nurses station and several nurses agreed upon the same practitioner.

3. Is a particular health practitioner in your health plan? This is a question that should be asked, however sometimes a practitioner may not be in a particular health plan yet still be covered on the same or similar basis, so don’t automatically exclude doctors because they “aren’t on the list”.

4. Does the doctor have a good bedside manner? This is something that is of varied importance to some people and should be weighed
on a case by case basis. Sometimes, for example, practitioners who lack in this area have the best surgical outcomes.

5. What is the location of the doctor?

6, What are the doctors hours. Does he or she have evening or weekend hours?

7. Is the doctor accepting new patient’s

Finding a health practitioner is not always an easy task, nor should it be taken lightly. Doing your homework in this area, however, will help you to make an educated decision and hopefully provide you with a satisfactory “doctor – patient” relationship.