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Ways To Find A Good Specialist Doctor?

Discussion in 'Health & Wellness' started by Rihana, Sep 18, 2020.

  1. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Now and then we need to see a specialist doctor, such as a neurologist, nephrologist, dermatologist ... you name it. This thread is about the ways to find a good specialist doctor though I hope no one ever has to do so.

    The first resource for referrals is of course our primary care physician (PCP). This should be the source that we can trust the most, but many times I found to my dismay that my PCP or pediatrician does not really vet the specialists they suggest. The front desk simply makes a copy of an old list and gives it to me on the way out. After a couple of bad experiences, I asked my PCP/pediatrician if they actually knew the specialists were good and hence recommended them. She said, "not really.. the specialist got in touch with us, and we added them to the list."

    Do you know of other ways to go about finding a specialist doctor when needed?
    .
     
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  2. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    One way is to call up one's medical insurance provider or search their website. There are some reviews available there.

    I don't know of any reliable websites that have reviews on doctors/specialists. Yelp, healthgrades.com are ones that come up in Google search, but the reviews don't seem to be dependable.
     
  3. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    Yelp and Google reviews are somewhat useful. Angies List also has some provider ratings.
    Word of mouth can be useful. We have a very active local area forum where one generally gets good recommendations. If you have a teaching hospital in your area then they tend to have doctors who are up to date with the latest trends.
    Unfortunately in my area we increasingly find that the best doctors have either decided to stop accepting insurance or are switching to concierge practices.
     
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  4. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    We dont have a PCP yet. All the doctors who were recommended by other doctors/neighbors so far turned out to be not so good . i found all my doctors from here : Search Top Doctors. Find Trusted Care | Castle Connolly
    Reviews from healthgrades , vitals.com etc act as supplementary.
    After I shortlist a couple from the above website i filter based on if and which university are they affiliated for teaching/research/department heads etc. and also would google in general to know about if and for what they were in news in recent times or even earlier.
    lastly if my shortlisted doctor happens to be the chief doctor at that practice with long waitlist and the reception offers me another doctor who can see me soon I'd still insist on my choice and would wait. So far in my experience , even if my chosen doctor is mostly invisible during my not so serious issues he would be present on occasions which matter.
     
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  5. SunPa

    SunPa Platinum IL'ite

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    @cib
    Very insightful, thanks!

    I would also match word of mouth recos with personality types. My gyne both at my place of residence and in India came highly recommended. came highly recommended . Oh , I hate them both from the bottom of my heart. So now I take note of specifics with word of mouth - why they like him/her, what is their expectation of the doc- does it match mine, my personality and the recommending person's personality- some people have a very chirpy mindset and use superlative adjectives without specifics because they are so happy with the outcome, so we have to dig deeper
     
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  6. GregoriaBoul

    GregoriaBoul Silver IL'ite

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    Bets if you first check it who is nearby in your area for easier accessibility.
     
  7. DavenaRosalie

    DavenaRosalie Silver IL'ite

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    you can also check it online.
     

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