News
Choose a doctor before you need one
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| Mario Aguilar | Green Valley News Dr. William MichaelL Cochran advises those looking for a physican to ask questions throughly before deciding. Choosing a doctor is a personal decision, experts say, so it’s important to find out details that are important to you and to find out about a doctor’s credentials. |
By Ellen Sussman
Moving to a new area is usually a daunting undertaking and choosing a new physician in a new community can be another overwhelming decision.
For winter visitors as well as year-round residents, there are important factors one should consider.
Consumers Guide says most people don’t think about how to choose a doctor until one is needed—in a hurry.
If a person doesn’t have a family doctor or internist, sudden illness or injury often means a visit to the emergency room of the nearest hospital where staff doctors will likely know little if anything about the patient’s medical history.
That said, the best time to choose a doctor is before one is needed. It’s also important to bring medical records from all doctors in your previous location. Up-to-date medical offices can supply a patient’s complete records on a CD.
Check them out
Just as people will spend a good amount of time to check out several new home developments or homes with real estate agents, so should one check out primary care physicians and specialists.
Asking friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations is a good way to start, but finding a physician one is comfortable with and who is best suited to their needs is a very personal decision.
One physician’s recommendations
In Green Valley, Dr. William Michael Cochran encourages people to see what kind of practice style a doctor has; he said Carondelet’s practice style is different from his practice style.
“A question a potential patient should consider is, ‘Will the physician look at all of my problems to integrate the reason for my visit based on my medical problems?’
“People with chronic disease have bigger considerations; it’s hard to lace everything together in 10 minutes and patients should look for a physician who they feel comfortable with,” Cochran said.
Other important factors he suggests that one consider are: Will the physician contact the patient directly after lab work is received? If not, what is the communication? What is the doctor and office’s availability to return phone calls? If there’s a billing question, will the office staff work it out to the patient’s satisfaction rather than going through disinterested parties?
Cochran’s wife, Beth, is a registered nurse and works with him. He said the two put their heads together every day on their drive to the office and feel that they know their patients well.
“I give patients my cell phone number; it’s a respectful, successful, largely retired population here. I don’t want patients coming into the office saying they were in the emergency room three weeks ago; I want to the chance to help them first,” Cochran said.
Accepting new patients, his areas of interest are cardiovascular, pulmonary, preventive medicine and mental health.
Other considerations
Insurance plans may restrict choices to a group of plan-approved doctors or may offer financial incentives to use doctors who are plan-affiliated.
It’s important to check the terms of one’s health insurance to see if visits to a particular doctor will be covered.
Most doctors are either primary care physicians or specialists. Primary care physicians are those one would see for a cold, flu and regular checkups; they are often board certified in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine.
Specialists including urologists, oncologists, ophthalmologists and dermatologists are physicians who focus on one area and have completed residency training in a specific medical field following graduation from medical school. They are board certified in their specialty.
Is the physician is in good standing with state licensing agencies? Several Web sites are available for checking this.
Needs and priorities
Choosing a doctor is a very personal decision and individual needs and priorities will vary. The following questions may help to focus and narrow the choices to select the right physician:
Is the physician accepting new patients?
Where is the office located? Is it easy to get to? Is there ample parking?
What hospitals does the doctor use?
Where are X-rays and lab tests performed; in the office or at an outside laboratory?
How long is the wait for an appointment? Does the doctor see patients the same day if there’s an urgent need?
Is the office staff friendly, professional and courteous?
When the patient calls with a question, does the doctor or nurse return the call in a timely manner, usually the same or next day?
If the physician is in private practice, who covers if he/she is away?
If the doctor is part of a group, there may be times when another doctor will cover; is this OK?
Does the doctor’s office process insurance claims or does the office require up-front payment for services with the patient filing insurance forms?
Meet the doctor
When narrowing choices, it may be helpful to make an “interview” appointment to meet the doctor and see if one’s needs and personal comfort zone are met. This is the time to ask questions regarding individual health care needs.
There may be a co-payment or other fee for this service; however, it’s often a valuable way to gather information when making this important decision.
Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.
For winter visitors as well as year-round residents, there are important factors one should consider.
Consumers Guide says most people don’t think about how to choose a doctor until one is needed—in a hurry.
If a person doesn’t have a family doctor or internist, sudden illness or injury often means a visit to the emergency room of the nearest hospital where staff doctors will likely know little if anything about the patient’s medical history.
That said, the best time to choose a doctor is before one is needed. It’s also important to bring medical records from all doctors in your previous location. Up-to-date medical offices can supply a patient’s complete records on a CD.
Check them out
Just as people will spend a good amount of time to check out several new home developments or homes with real estate agents, so should one check out primary care physicians and specialists.
Asking friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations is a good way to start, but finding a physician one is comfortable with and who is best suited to their needs is a very personal decision.
One physician’s recommendations
In Green Valley, Dr. William Michael Cochran encourages people to see what kind of practice style a doctor has; he said Carondelet’s practice style is different from his practice style.
“A question a potential patient should consider is, ‘Will the physician look at all of my problems to integrate the reason for my visit based on my medical problems?’
“People with chronic disease have bigger considerations; it’s hard to lace everything together in 10 minutes and patients should look for a physician who they feel comfortable with,” Cochran said.
Other important factors he suggests that one consider are: Will the physician contact the patient directly after lab work is received? If not, what is the communication? What is the doctor and office’s availability to return phone calls? If there’s a billing question, will the office staff work it out to the patient’s satisfaction rather than going through disinterested parties?
Cochran’s wife, Beth, is a registered nurse and works with him. He said the two put their heads together every day on their drive to the office and feel that they know their patients well.
“I give patients my cell phone number; it’s a respectful, successful, largely retired population here. I don’t want patients coming into the office saying they were in the emergency room three weeks ago; I want to the chance to help them first,” Cochran said.
Accepting new patients, his areas of interest are cardiovascular, pulmonary, preventive medicine and mental health.
Other considerations
Insurance plans may restrict choices to a group of plan-approved doctors or may offer financial incentives to use doctors who are plan-affiliated.
It’s important to check the terms of one’s health insurance to see if visits to a particular doctor will be covered.
Most doctors are either primary care physicians or specialists. Primary care physicians are those one would see for a cold, flu and regular checkups; they are often board certified in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine.
Specialists including urologists, oncologists, ophthalmologists and dermatologists are physicians who focus on one area and have completed residency training in a specific medical field following graduation from medical school. They are board certified in their specialty.
Is the physician is in good standing with state licensing agencies? Several Web sites are available for checking this.
Needs and priorities
Choosing a doctor is a very personal decision and individual needs and priorities will vary. The following questions may help to focus and narrow the choices to select the right physician:
Meet the doctor
When narrowing choices, it may be helpful to make an “interview” appointment to meet the doctor and see if one’s needs and personal comfort zone are met. This is the time to ask questions regarding individual health care needs.
There may be a co-payment or other fee for this service; however, it’s often a valuable way to gather information when making this important decision.
Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.
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