Avoid Medical Mistakes, Choose the Right Physician

In today?s world of managed care, patients are often forced to choose physicians almost blindly from a list supplied by their insurance companies. How can you be sure you?re choosing a doctor with a clean malpractice record and one who?s compatible with your needs? Through research and direct questioning of your potential physician, you can find a doctor who is a good fit for you and your family.

To research the malpractice record of your doctor, you have several options ? some are free, others are fee-driven:

? The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners site list doctors? credentials, in addition to their disciplinary records.This site is free, but unfortunately it?s not incredibly user friendly and the information on the site is minimal, at best.

? Questionabledoctors.org offers a list of disciplined doctors from 27 states (including Texas) for free. For a small fee, you can get a detailed discipline report about individual doctors on the list.

? Healthgrades.com offers physician report cards on more than 600,000 doctors in 78 specialties. The information is compiled from state medical boards, physicians, health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and publicly available directories or telephone surveys. You can get basic information for free and more detailed information on specific physicians for a small fee.

? Searchpointe.com combines data from 50 states to provide a single, nationwide source for physicians? credentials. Free of charge, you can find out a doctor's specialty, education and address and license status. For a nominal fee, you?ll receive information on license details and sanctions.

Increasingly more and more state medical boards are posting information online, so check with your state?s medical board to see if you can access your doctor?s malpractice record on the web.

Of course, you can always ask your doctor directly about their background: What does their training and background include? Have they been subject to any disciplinary action?

Once you?ve determined that your doctor?s background meets your standards, there are several more personal factors that you might want to consider before making your final decision:

? Which hospitals have granted the doctor privileges? Are those facilities convenient for you?

? What are the doctor?s office hours?

? Does the doctor or someone in the office speak the language that you are most comfortable speaking?

? Who covers for the doctor when he/she is not available?

? How long does it usually take to get an appointment?

? How are urgent care and emergency situations handled