How do you...?

[CDI]

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How do you choose your doctor?

What are things you look at specifically when you are choosing your doctor?

Do you look at their degree? MD/DO
Do you look at where they went to med school?
Do you look at their residency program?
Do you look at their gender? M/F
Do you look at their name? (To determine ethnicity or possible communication problems.)
Do you actually look at their online ratings?
Do you even care in regards to your primary care provider?
Or do you just want the doctor who will prescribe you the pills you request?

 

[shan564]

I usually go to the one that's most convenient. If I'm not happy with them for some reason, I'll usually pick the next person based on their academic credentials, not that I think it makes a huge difference.

 

[survivordo]

I would say word of mouth is how most people choose their physician. If they are very new to an area maybe the online system starts playing into it more.

Survivor DO

 

[EmergDoc2B]

I would say word of mouth is how most people choose their physician. If they are very new to an area maybe the online system starts playing into it more.

Survivor DO

👍

 

[HatWobble]

Whichever one is easiest to get to, provided he/she is in network for my insurance.

 

[CDI]

Solid variables I didn't even consider in my initial post.

I wonder if people are more particular in regards to their specialists.

 

[NeuroLAX]

I concur with the convenience factor. If I had something more peculiar or rare, I might look into their credentials more, particularly if they have research experience in the area.

 

[CDI]

I would say word of mouth is how most people choose their physician. If they are very new to an area maybe the online system starts playing into it more.

Survivor DO

I'm interested to see if this really is the case for the general public and their PCPs. I should check to see if there's any surveys on this. I'm sure there are.

I was just curious about how doctors would choose their doctors as well. There's a huge difference in a how doctors often choose the conservative approach to their own treatments as opposed to people who aren't in the field. Was curious if that also transferred over into choice of providers.

 

[shan564]

I used to see one particular specialist... he was an MD/PhD and an associate professor at my university, but that's not the reason why I went to him. I went there because my GP referred me to him and he was nearby. Maybe I stayed with him because of his academic qualifications, maybe it was because he was a great guy (and highly knowledgeable) with great patient care skills, or maybe it's just because I didn't want to leave.

But because he was so good, I might try to go to an MD/PhD next time I need to see a specialist.

 

[CDI]

I used to see one particular specialist... he was an MD/PhD and an associate professor at my university, but that's not the reason why I went to him. I went there because my GP referred me to him and he was nearby. Maybe I stayed with him because of his academic qualifications, maybe it was because he was a great guy (and highly knowledgeable) with great patient care skills, or maybe it's just because I didn't want to leave.

But because he was so good, I might try to go to an MD/PhD next time I need to see a specialist.

What was different or better that an MD couldn't provide? Is any part of that because you're in the field and felt more informed from the PhD viewpoint?

I feel like most people don't need someone to explain what's going on at a PhD level (possibly because they wouldn't understand).

 

[Stellar Clouds]

I usually check to see what year they finished their residency. I prefer someone with a reasonable amount experience, since a more seasoned physician will tend to not make mountains out of molehills.

 

[CDI]

I usually check to see what year they finished their residency. I prefer someone with a reasonable amount experience, since a more seasoned physician will tend to not make mountains out of molehills.

Good point, maybe not as much into 'defensive' medicine if they're more experienced. However, I think with medical specialists I'd want someone well-versed with newer treatments as well. Not sure about surgical...

 

[shan564]

What was different or better that an MD couldn't provide? Is any part of that because you're in the field and felt more informed from the PhD viewpoint?

I feel like most people don't need someone to explain what's going on at a PhD level (possibly because they wouldn't understand).

Yeah, that's probably an accurate assessment.

 

[kjamess]

Harvard or bust.

 

[link2swim06]

Depends on what I need.

For a primary care it doesn't matter a whole lot. Basic stuff can't really be screwed up (esp if you have a good med knowledge yourself) and if you have something serious you will likely be seeing a specialist.

If I need to see a specialist for something life/death or a surgeon I look for someone in the peak of their career. At least out of residency for 10 years but under 55 years old.

 

[Wordead]

PCP is kinda whatever - as long as he/she is easy to communicate with and not a dick.

If I needed a procedure, I'd go to whoever has done the most # of that procedure with good results. Usually someone in the medical community can give you a good reference.

 

[SLC]

Which ever doc is closest and takes my insurance works for me. Even for specialists.

If I was needing some sort of risky surgical procedure, or if I was a woman looking into cosmetic surgery, I'd look at a surgeon's track record, but beyond that I don't care.

School attended, residency attended, etc. even as a medical student that info is nothing more than a curiosity for me.

 

[rog411]

I look for the best I can get. So i'd go for the MD over the DO, the better school, the better residency, etc. There is a reason why we have better and worse things (schools/residencys/etc), it's not completely irrelevant.

 

[impact2d]

Before knowing anything about medicine, my family usually chose our primary by word of mouth (does he spend a lot of time, is he good at diagnosing, does he care about his patients etc) and hospital privileges (could he admit at the nice hospital.)

Specialists we usually checked credentials, med school, residency, or senior position (e.g. Chief of x), or got a great reference from someone we trusted (usually our family doc)

Surgery was where we wanted good credentials and someone who was well known, things like orthopod for X baseball team or operated on Y superstar went very far. But even then a strong personal recommendation went the furthest. Usually word of mouth still trumped residency, med school etc

Today, I check vitals, health grades, and residency. I don't really car that much where they went to med school, just where they trained. My brother needed surgery and my family wanted my advice ( because apparently I'm supposed to know these things now), I found a guy who went to a top 5 nationally ranked residency for his specialty and who had top reviews online. He also published on some cutting edge procedures and outcomes. He was a rock star and I'm convinced his top notch training contributed to a great result.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using SDN Mobile

 

[CDI]

I look for the best I can get. So i'd go for the MD over the DO, the better school, the better residency, etc. There is a reason why we have better and worse things (schools/residencys/etc), it's not completely irrelevant.

Yeah. I don't think everyone's completely being honest in this thread (for whatever reason).

I'm an IMG and even I would choose to send my own family to that top tier trained US MD over anyone else. This is more surgery or specialist related than PCP though.

I'd actually consider choosing a foreign IMG as a PCP. I'd be wondering how bad the US MD screwed up to be a PCP, whereas that IMG PCP is probably one of the better ones.

 

[rog411]

Yeah. I don't think everyone's completely being honest in this thread (for whatever reason).

I'm an IMG and even I would choose to send my own family to that top tier trained US MD over anyone else.

they're not honest because if they admit that they would seek out a top tier doc, and they aren't in a top tier program themselves, they must admit to themselves that they are inferior and less valuable/sought after, and no one wants to admit that even if they know it deep inside. they want to pretend that things like tier don't matter to protect their own ego.

i, on the other hand, don't care. i'm inferior, i'll say it myself, and i would definitely try to find the best doctor i could in all respects: school, residency, degree, whatever.

 

[shan564]

For what it's worth, I'm not an MD/PhD, but I said that I'd prefer to see an MD/PhD.

I spent the last four years in Australia, and I have to say that I would have preferred to see somebody who went to U.Sydney or U.Melbourne for med school and to one of the "top" hospitals for residency... but that's not a fair comparison because I also went to one of those universities and one of those hospitals. And of the many GPs that I saw, my favorite was one who went to a different med school. But the only specialist I saw was an MD/PhD who trained at U.Sydney and the ivory tower hospital... although I only saw him because my GP recommended him.

 

[DrEnderW]

I'd actually consider choosing a foreign IMG as a PCP. I'd be wondering how bad the US MD screwed up to be a PCP, whereas that IMG PCP is probably one of the better ones.

That's odd. You do realize that some people in the US want to be a PCP right?

 

[CDI]

That's odd. You do realize that some people in the US want to be a PCP right?

Of course I do. However since PCP is the least competitive it also raises the risk of them cruising with lower/subpar credentials by just being 'good enough'.

At that point chances are the IMG with similar respectable residency training may in fact have a better foundation & background than a US MD who got in with lower credentials.

 

[projectlogic]

Of course I do. However since PCP is the least competitive it also raises the risk of them cruising with lower/subpar credentials by just being 'good enough'.

At that point chances are the IMG with similar respectable residency training may in fact have a better foundation & background than a US MD who got in with lower credentials.

You shouldn't just assume that your PCP has "lower credentials" based on what specialties are competitive today. The competitiveness and desirability of different specialties change all the time based on supply and demand. The field is constantly changing. It may have been different when the doctor you are judging graduated from medical school.

For example, 30 years ago most of the top people in their respective classes went into highly ranked IM programs and FM was fairly popular back in the 70s. A lot of the ROAD residencies were no where near as popular or competitive as they are today, especially radiology, anesthesiology, and even dermatology. Ortho was also not competitive before. Yet, look at how much things have changed and continue to change.

Although, I'm not for judging people based on the specialty they chose. You should at least look at the historical context in which these doctors made their decisions.

 

[CDI]

You shouldn't just assume that your PCP has "lower credentials" based on what specialties are competitive today. The competitiveness and desirability of different specialties change all the time based on supply and demand. The field is constantly changing. It may have been different when the doctor you are judging graduated from medical school.

For example, 30 years ago most of the top people in their respective classes went into highly ranked IM programs and FM was fairly popular back in the 70s. A lot of the ROAD residencies were no where near as popular or competitive as they are today, especially radiology, anesthesiology, and even dermatology. Ortho was also not competitive before. Yet, look at how much things have changed and continue to change.

Although, I'm not for judging people based on the specialty they chose. You should at least look at the historical context in which these doctors made their decisions.

Take any residency position - IMG require higher scores than US MD for that same spot. That's the way it is. While they may not be as on-par in terms of people skills (or possibly even communication), I could care less about that.

I'm looking for the smartest, most capable, and most knowledgeable PCP.

 

[duckie99]

When looking back on it there really is no sure fire way to pick a "good" doctor. Word of mouth from non-physicians is essentially useless because they don't understand medicine at all and will just go with the "nice" doctor who spends time. While these are desirable traits they are probably not the most critical.

Also the problem is that shopping around is both very difficult and time consuming. When I get to the point of needing a PCP what I'll likely do is ask my physician friends who is good. I think a PCP is the most vital physician in the patient's life because a good one will often prevent problems and will know the best specialists. I'd want one who has great compassion but also is very thorough and humble (knowledgeable and up to date as well). Likely it'll also have to be someone I can relate to.

 

[CDI]

When looking back on it there really is no sure fire way to pick a "good" doctor. Word of mouth from non-physicians is essentially useless because they don't understand medicine at all and will just go with the "nice" doctor who spends time. While these are desirable traits they are probably not the most critical.

Also the problem is that shopping around is both very difficult and time consuming. When I get to the point of needing a PCP what I'll likely do is ask my physician friends who is good. I think a PCP is the most vital physician in the patient's life because a good one will often prevent problems and will know the best specialists. I'd want one who has great compassion but also is very thorough and humble (knowledgeable and up to date as well). Likely it'll also have to be someone I can relate to.

As a doctor myself, I'd want a doctor who's smarter/more experienced than me and who will be able to see things that I wouldn't pick up on myself. I don't really need someone who is compassionate, I want it straight, how it is. If I was a clueless/non-medical, then yeah, a "nicer" doctor would be fine cause it can be scary not understanding.

 

[link2swim06]

Take any residency position - IMG require higher scores than US MD for that same spot. That's the way it is. While they may not be as on-par in terms of people skills (or possibly even communication), I could care less about that.

I'm looking for the smartest, most capable, and most knowledgeable PCP.

Your logic has a big fallacy.

You are equating board scores with the best physician.

Communication skills often dicate the quality of history they will derive from you. If you get a doc who sucks at communicating they will likely not get an accurate/complete history. Therefore, regardless of their knowledge or experience they are already starting significantly behind.

Likewise communicating their thoughts/treatment plan back to you is as equally as important.


This is why IMGs need higher board scores....they typically are deficient in other qualitative areas which are equally as important.

 

[duckie99]

As a doctor myself, I'd want a doctor who's smarter/more experienced than me and who will be able to see things that I wouldn't pick up on myself. I don't really need someone who is compassionate, I want it straight, how it is. If I was a clueless/non-medical, then yeah, a "nicer" doctor would be fine cause it can be scary not understanding.

yeah but if your pcp doesn't even care about you as a person... well everyone is different and looks for different things. I want the guy to be competent and up to date with the latest stuff (something a non-physician wouldn't know about) but also empathetic.

 

[CDI]

Your logic has a big fallacy.

You are equating board scores with the best physician.

Communication skills often dicate the quality of history they will derive from you. If you get a doc who sucks at communicating they will likely not get an accurate/complete history. Therefore, regardless of their knowledge or experience they are already starting significantly behind.

Likewise communicating their thoughts/treatment plan back to you is as equally as important.


This is why IMGs need higher board scores....they typically are deficient in other qualitative areas which are equally as important.

You're also assuming that I'm incapable of understanding and communicating what details/complaints of mine are important and relevant, except I'm in the field. Like I said for someone not in the medical field sure, but what good is it if the person is able to elicit a full complete history but has the knowledge base of a peanut and can not interpret the findings?

 

[MetalGearFox]

First I always make sure they have an MD. Other letters don't count. Then I usually e-mail them for their step 1 score. >260 only.

 

[CDI]

First I always make sure they have an MD. Other letters don't count. Then I usually e-mail them for their step 1 score. >260 only.

👍

 

[SLC]

As long as they went to med-school in the USA, I will consider going to see them.

 

[CDI]

As long as they went to med-school in the USA, I will consider going to see them.

Well that effectively knocks out 20% of doctors you could see. Sound like a budding PD.

 

[NickNaylor]

Screen 1: MD or DO

Screen 2: went to a school that I've heard of or is affiliated with an institution that I know of

(sent from my phone)

 

[Melkor]

I'm a little surprised more people haven't said they would just self treat rather than go to a family doc. I assume most of us in med school/beyond have enough background info in the field to dx/tx 90% of the stuff someone without any medical experience would come into the office for. As for prescriptions/meds, if you are self treating then I could see why you may need to go in for a few certain prescriptions but it's relatively easy to get most things you would ever need without. Maybe I'm just cynical but I trust myself a hell of a lot more than some random Dr I found on google.

As for things you can't do yourself (mostly surgeries/procedures), if it was a serious procedure then I would obviously do some home work and find some one with an excellent tract record of the specific thing I needed-I wouldn't care as much where/when they went to school/residency but it could be important if there was nothing else to distinguish one Dr from another I suppose.

 

[NickNaylor]

Maybe I'm just cynical but I trust myself a hell of a lot more than some random Dr I found on google

As a medical student?

lol

 

[link2swim06]

I'm a little surprised more people haven't said they would just self treat rather than go to a family doc. I assume most of us in med school/beyond have enough background info in the field to dx/tx 90% of the stuff someone without any medical experience would come into the office for. As for prescriptions/meds, if you are self treating then I could see why you may need to go in for a few certain prescriptions but it's relatively easy to get most things you would ever need without. Maybe I'm just cynical but I trust myself a hell of a lot more than some random Dr I found on google.

As for things you can't do yourself (mostly surgeries/procedures), if it was a serious procedure then I would obviously do some home work and find some one with an excellent tract record of the specific thing I needed-I wouldn't care as much where/when they went to school/residency but it could be important if there was nothing else to distinguish one Dr from another I suppose.

I think most of us are medical students and don't have a medical license yet. Therefore, this isn't an option.


If I ever get high blood pressure or high cholesterol I will definitely self treat. Likewise you are never going to see me at the doctor's office for a URI again.

More complex stuff requiring specialist I'd let them prescribe.

 

[Rendar5]

eh, I wouldn't self-treat htn or cholesterol unless you're going into a field where you routinely treat and ajudst treatments for such things. recommendations change rather often, and if you're not keeping up to date...I've only been out of med school for 4 years and basic recommendations have already changed in that time for a lot of fields. self-treat a URI or acute illness, sure, but then I'm in a field that deals with those things.

 

[Laryngophed]

Before knowing anything about medicine, my family usually chose our primary by word of mouth (does he spend a lot of time, is he good at diagnosing, does he care about his patients etc) and hospital privileges (could he admit at the nice hospital.)

Specialists we usually checked credentials, med school, residency, or senior position (e.g. Chief of x), or got a great reference from someone we trusted (usually our family doc)

Surgery was where we wanted good credentials and someone who was well known, things like orthopod for X baseball team or operated on Y superstar went very far. But even then a strong personal recommendation went the furthest. Usually word of mouth still trumped residency, med school etc

Today, I check vitals, health grades, and residency. I don't really car that much where they went to med school, just where they trained. My brother needed surgery and my family wanted my advice ( because apparently I'm supposed to know these things now), I found a guy who went to a top 5 nationally ranked residency for his specialty and who had top reviews online. He also published on some cutting edge procedures and outcomes. He was a rock star and I'm convinced his top notch training contributed to a great result.

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What residency ranking did you use? How do they decide what is top 5?



FWIW, I've known my PCP since they were a student. I look for three qualities in a PCP: they actively involve me in the care, they have some flexibility in clinic hours/or trust me when I communicate with them outside of clinic, they know when to refer.

It's pretty easy and I have that right now. Unfortunately, I may have to give that up in a year.

 

[link2swim06]

eh, I wouldn't self-treat htn or cholesterol unless you're going into a field where you routinely treat and ajudst treatments for such things. recommendations change rather often, and if you're not keeping up to date...I've only been out of med school for 4 years and basic recommendations have already changed in that time for a lot of fields. self-treat a URI or acute illness, sure, but then I'm in a field that deals with those things.

I don't see how you would get into trouble just following what the UpToDate recommendations are for those things.

Imo the worry about self treatment is when you can't objectively evaluate yourself (i.e. chronic pain, depression, etc.). Cholesterol and blood pressure and simply numbers....either you are hypertensive or you are not.

I guess it also matters if you are a specialist and haven't touched the other 95% of medicine in decades. This would make one less comfortable to self-treat.

 

[mjl1717]

Briefly , for primary care:

1) He must be able to communicate the lingo properly, concisely, and at the right time
2) He must have compassion..
3) Must be over 45 years of age.
4) He should know who "Dr. House" and Sir William Osler are.


Don't copy me... But this seems to work for me

 

[apumic]

I would say word of mouth is how most people choose their physician. If they are very new to an area maybe the online system starts playing into it more.

Survivor DO

This.

Asking a physician where they went to med school or residency before making an apt....?! 🙄 Hell, their staff probably couldn't even tell you where they went and it's probably not going to be on their website (if they have one), so how would you even know where to begin looking?

Research rankings of a person's med school almost certainly have essentially no correlation with a physician's ability. If anything, the correlation is likely to be negative since studies have shown that USMLE Step 1 scores are negatively correlated with residents' performance evals (assuming they scored high enough to get into a program, of course, so we have a restricted range here).

 

[Fox800]

1. Word of mouth from family/friends/healthcare providers I trust
2. Location
3. Ratings online (if I can find any)

 

[level]

Yeah. I don't think everyone's completely being honest in this thread (for whatever reason).

I'm an IMG and even I would choose to send my own family to that top tier trained US MD over anyone else. This is more surgery or specialist related than PCP though.

I'd actually consider choosing a foreign IMG as a PCP. I'd be wondering how bad the US MD screwed up to be a PCP, whereas that IMG PCP is probably one of the better ones.

I am an IMG, and often refer to fellow IMGs who had the initiative to live abroad, learn another language, and against fierce competition complete a top tier residency.

Contrarily PCPs, in my opinion, are underpaid, overworked, and often have their cookbook extenders blithely following algorithmic protocols with little or no fundamental education do much of the work.

Always recommend multiple opinions when in doubt, and defer to academic medical centers. It only takes a moment to ask around-collegially among peers.

 

[Geekchick921]

I picked my PCP for convenience and experience with her and her group. I worked at the hospital where they have privileges for 5 years.

I picked our kids' pediatrician for pretty much the same reason. Their office is in the same building as my husband's office, though he works from home and he only has to go in a few times a year for meetings, and the building is around the corner from the apartment we were living in when we had our daughter.

MD vs. DO, medical school and residency don't matter to me at all. I DO like having a female PCP, but it's not a sticking point for me. I am not sure if we will stick with either of those practices down the line. The reason we switch would be the same main reason we picked them in the first place, convenience.

On the other hand, I chose the midwife (maybe that makes me a traitor, haha, but she's amazing) that I switched to after I had my daughter based on reputation. Her offices and the hospital where she does deliveries isn't very convenient for us, but her track record for VBACs was/is excellent, which is what I wanted for future pregnancies. I chose well. 🙂

 

[pdxhopeful]

I choose mine based on convenience, assessment of their abilities, and to a certain extent my instincts - I've been to one or two who just creeped me out. There are plenty of doctors out there with strong people and clinical skills, so I demand both from those I will continue to see.

 

[45408]

I look at their picture and whether or not they are taking new pictures. I'll look at their training background, but it's not that important to me.

Now, for a specialist in something uncommon or higher risk, I'd ask around for referrals, mostly. It takes a lot of reading between the lines to pick up on some things, so I'd rather just find out who someone would send their father to if he needed his AAA repaired.

 

[yehhhboiii]

I'm a little surprised more people haven't said they would just self treat rather than go to a family doc. I assume most of us in med school/beyond have enough background info in the field to dx/tx 90% of the stuff someone without any medical experience would come into the office for. As for prescriptions/meds, if you are self treating then I could see why you may need to go in for a few certain prescriptions but it's relatively easy to get most things you would ever need without. Maybe I'm just cynical but I trust myself a hell of a lot more than some random Dr I found on google.

As for things you can't do yourself (mostly surgeries/procedures), if it was a serious procedure then I would obviously do some home work and find some one with an excellent tract record of the specific thing I needed-I wouldn't care as much where/when they went to school/residency but it could be important if there was nothing else to distinguish one Dr from another I suppose.

Doctors go to other doctors all the time for appointments. People specialize and they become proficient in different things. The only time I would look someone up is if I was getting some major surgery done.