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Here are some basic guidelines to consider when choosing a doctor.
Starting Your Search
Educate yourself thoroughly about Arthritis and be on the lookout for health care providers who have done the same.
Your primary care provider
If you already have a good relationship with a health care provider, you should urge him/her to develop an understanding of arthritis. Educate your doctor by providing him/her with literature about the illness. Initially, you may be answering more questions for your doctor than he or she is answering for you.
Local support groups
Arthritis support groups may be able to guide you when looking for a health care provider in your area. You can get a list of local arthritis support groups from
ARTHRITIS ANSWERS (TM)
help@arthritis.org
www.arthritis.org
Arthritis Foundation
1330 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-872-7100 Extension 1
1-800-568-4045
For a list of local chapters go to: http://www.arthritis.org/ChapDirectory.asp
Everyone else
Other people with arthritis, friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, nurses, support group members - everyone is a resource. Keep in mind that many people choose health care providers according to “personality” and opinions differ among individuals. Most people are not qualified to characterize a doctor as competent or incompetent. However, compassion and understanding, good “bedside manner” and an open mind are qualities that count in a health care provider... especially when treating a chronic illness like arthritis
Gather Information
Before you contact the health care providers you are interested in, you can get some basic background information about them. For example: Are they licensed? Are they board certified? Have they ever been sued for malpractice? At which hospital(s) do they have privileges? Are they in your insurance plan? Do they accept Medicaid/Medicare (if applicable)?
Call Them Up
Next, call the offices of the providers who meet your criteria and speak with the office managers. Find out how they feel about arthritis. Ask if the doctor is familiar with arthritis? Does he or she diagnose arthritis? Does he or she treat arthritis How many arthritis patients does he or she have?” There may be other questions you want to consider asking as well.
Give Them A Check-Up
There are now many ways to check up on physicians anywhere in the country. You can go to your local library, check with a physician referral service or surf the Internet. Below are additional options.
Your insurance plan
Call your health insurer first to find out which health care providers are in your plan. Most Americans now have a limited number of providers they can see. If there aren’t any suitable doctors in your plan, find out the plan’s policy if you go “out of network.”
American Medical Association (AMA)
Department of Physician Data Services
515 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60616
Website: www.ama-assn.org
Through the AMA you can find out about a doctor’s educational background and areas of medical specialty and whether or not the doctor is a member of the AMA. You can also check the American Medical Association Medical Directory at your local public library or bookstore.
American Board of Medical Specialties
47 Perimeter Center East, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30346
800/776-2378
Website: http://certifieddoctor.org/
This organization will tell you whether a doctor is board certified or board eligible in a particular area. “Board certified” means the doctor has completed two additional years of training and passed a national examination. “Board eligible” means that the training, but not the test, has been completed.
Medi-Net
Toll-free: 888/275-6334
Website:
For a fee* Medi-Net accesses databases from the AMA, three federal agencies and all 50 state medical boards to provide basic background information on a doctor and whether he or she has been disciplined for billing fraud, overprescribing, incompetence or another offense. *$14.75 for one doctor when ordering from the website ($29.99 when calling).
When You Go to the Doctor...
Exercise your right to receive appropriate medical care, but respect that office visits do have time limits. Be prepared for your visit with a list of your symptoms and medications - many arthritis patients find that keeping a symptom diary helps them talk to their doctors better. Ask questions and answer questions fully. Write things down. You might even want to ask permission to audiotape the visit.
Remember, doctors are people too. All are fallible, and no one doctor can possibly keep up with all the new medical information coming out. Doctors, like the rest of us, have personal opinions and attitudes. They can’t be totally unbiased or free of pre-judgments. If your doctor can’t deal with your real medical problems, seek help elsewhere.
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