Posted by blueberry on June 25, 2006, at 10:58:43
In reply to Ways to find a good pdoc?, posted by Racer on June 24, 2006, at 15:30:46
Finding a good pdoc. That's hard. It takes some work and some time. What has worked best for me in the past is to not take recommendations from my current therapists or doctors, but to find someone else on my own. I am in the process of doing that right now, so you aren't alone.
I go through the yellow pages. I then call each office with a set of prearranged screening questions. Stuff like...how booked up are you (if they are booked too far in advance it probably means they won't be easily accessible when I need them the most); what age groups do you treat (I want to see someone who treats a lot of geriatric patients because I think they are harder and more fragile to treat); how soon will the doctor get back to me if I have a bad reaction; can you give me a quick appointment if something goes really wrong; are visits 15 minutes or can they be longer; is there a lot of experience with treatment resistance; is he affiliated with a hospital; does he belong to outside psychiatric associations; is the doctor in love with his work (this always catches them off guard). Stuff like that. Whatever is important to you.
Obviously the answers to the questions are important to me. But even more important is how they answer the questions. I can get a good feel for the quality of their service by just talking with the secretary. I can get a feel for whether they are just a prescription factory, a money making machine, or whether they really care about what they do. If they are in a hurry to get me off the phone, they will probably treat me the same way in person. If they don't have the answers to my questions right away, will they or will they not get them for me. All of these things paint a picture when taken together.
I went through maybe 20 names. I came across one that really impressed me. They not only answered my questions the way I hoped, but they showed genuine compassion and interest in my case. They even followed up by calling back. I could be wrong, but I figure if the secretary is outstanding she is probably a good reflection on how the doctor operates.
Basically I'm looking for a good relationship. If they have true compassion and interest, they will have more creativity in choosing meds.
Another way to screen names is to go to insurance company websites. Cigna for example. There you can view the docs in their system. A lot of hospitals have their own websites. Call them and find out. A local hospital here has all the pdocs listed, how long they've been practicing, where they were trained, what their specialties are, what organizations they belong to, photos of what they look like, and such.
Basically I guess I am saying to consider coming up with your own hunting strategy and screening strategy and do not use a recommendation.
And if on that first visit you realize the guy is not at all what you had hoped, have another one lined up.
poster:blueberry
thread:661019
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060623/msgs/661272.html