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WOMEN'S & CHILDREN'S | Family Maternity Center | Pregnancy Resource Center | Pregnancy Library | Birth Planning | Do your homework before choosing baby’s doctor
Do your homework before choosing baby’s doctor
Before your baby is discharged from the hospital he or she will have their first checkup. Within two weeks he or she will have their first visit to the doctor's office.
The last thing you'll feel like doing after the birth is choosing your baby's doctor from your hospital bed. Plan to make the choice well in advance of your due date.
Friends and neighborhood parents are an excellent source of recommendations. If you keep asking people in your community, you will likely find the same names keep turning up.
Set up a get-acquainted visit
Much information can be gathered from the office staff over the phone. But you also need to know if the doctor's personality is a good fit for you and your family. For that you'll want to set up a "get acquainted" meeting with any physicians you're considering. A face-to-face chat will help answer all your questions and give you a feel for how the doctor works.
Consider qualifications
You should check credentials to make sure your child is going to see a qualified, well-trained doctor. Consider asking these questions: - Where did the doctor go to medical school (and why did he or she go there)?
- Where did the physician do residency training and other postgraduate work?
- Is the doctor board-certified? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) certifies doctors who have successfully completed pediatric certification examinations. Similarly, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) certifies family doctors who have successfully completed certification examinations. Ask the doctor if he or she is participating in continuing medical education; an activity necessary to maintain an active medical license.
- Does the doctor have a subspecialty or area of particular interest?
Consider practical matters
There are many practical questions to ask, some of which can be answered over the telephone. A healthcare provider may come highly recommended and be close to your home, but if he or she does not participate with your insurance company, he might not be affordable. Here are some practical issues to consider: - Is the baby's doctor on your health plan's panel of approved providers?
- What are office hours? Do they include evenings or weekends? How are emergencies handled?
- Is the doctor's office a reasonable distance from your home?
- If your primary doctor isn't available, who will care for your child?
- At what hospitals does your doctor have privileges if your child needs hospitalization?
- How is payment handled?
Consider the intangibles
You are entrusting your precious child to a doctor's care, and you need to be comfortable with your choice. Here are some questions to ask yourself after your get acquainted visit: - Did the doctor take time and listen to my concerns?
- Does the doctor seem like a person children would like?
- Was the doctor and her staff friendly and helpful?
- Did I have to wait long before meeting the doctor?
- Is there something about the doctor that bothers me?
- Did the doctor ask any questions about my family and me?
- How did I feel when I left the appointment? Good? Confused? Worried?
- Did I feel comfortable asking questions?
Date last reviewed: October 2002.
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