How to Choose Your Provider

A health care provider is your health-giver and a custodian of your health and your health information. It is important that you pick your health care provider deliberately and very carefully. Here are some positive steps you can take to shorten this process.

First check the provider, the staff and the facility in which the care is provided.

Second, check your provider's qualifications, such as education, board certification, teaching positions, licensing, disciplinary actions and/or malpractice suits via Internet. The second alternative is to contact your state's Licensing bureau. Most state licensing bureaus will provide you with sufficient information about your provider, such as medical school and graduation, licenses, board certifications and disciplinary actions. The third alternative is to ask the provider to supply you with such information.

To check your provider, visit the provider (call and ask for a 'get-acquainted-visit' or initial visit) and assess the staff, available services, and the facility. Ask a lot of questions, but try not to give an impression that you are a difficult or a litigious person.

Things to Look For

  • Location - how convenient and accessible is the facility and how far is the affiliated hospital.
  • Office Staffing - number of providers, people skills, specialties, coverage, etc.
  • Office Appearance - size, decorating, cleanliness, neatness, privacy measures, etc.
  • Office Procedures and Policies - registration, appointments, billing practices, urgencies and emergencies, health exams, wellness programs, etc.
  • Services - specialties, tests, procedures, hospital and outpatient affiliations, etc.
  • Conveniences - accessibility, parking, appointments, in office various services, answering service, etc.
  • Check out the education, teaching experience, license, board certification and disciplinary actions of any provider you wish to use as you or you families health-giver(s).

What do Licensing and Board Certifications Mean

State License - In order for a physician to practice in a given state, the physician must first obtain a license by taking a state qualification exam and/or by interview with his peers. Every state has a list of physicians who are licensed in its state located at the state licensing bureau.

Board Certification - most physicians are board certified, which means they must pass competency examinations in their designated specialty at regular periods, usually no longer than every four years. Each Specialty has a college or an association and a patient can check a physician's board certification by calling the respective specialty organization or by checking on the Internet, Certifieddoctor.com or look at the ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialties publications found in any library.

Disciplinary Actions - are official sanctions imposed either by the state or by the physician peer, committee or organization. Disciplinary actions are public information in almost all states. You can obtain disciplinary action records on any physician by contacting the state medical board.

Malpractice - is a legal action or suit originated by a patient or an insurance company against a physician for performing a service below accepted standard of care and/or afflicting an injury an a patient. Malpractice is not offered as public information in most states. Only Florida, Massachusetts and California give limited malpractice information to the public. National Practitioner Databank is the official repository of malpractice information, however it is not accessible to the public.