1. All About Medical Care

345. Rate Your Doctor

In order to feel good about your medical care, you should feel good about your doctor, too.

Use this checklist when evaluating your physician.

1. •Is your doctor ‘board certified” or ‘board eligible?” To check, contact the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) at 1.866.ASK.ABMS (275.2267) or access www.abms.org. Board certified means that he or she has two or more years of training in a specialty after medical school graduation and has passed a national examination certifying competence in the specialty. Board eligible means that the training has been completed, but not the exam. Please note, however, that credentials do not guarantee competency.
   

2. •Does your doctor listen to you and answer all your questions about the causes and treatment of your medical problems, or is he or she vague, impatient, or unwilling to answer?
   

3. •Are you comfortable with your doctor? Can you openly discuss your feelings and talk about personal concerns, including sexual and emotional problems?
   

4. •Does your doctor take a thorough history, asking about past physical and emotional problems, family medical history, drugs you are taking, and other matters affecting your health?
   

5. •Does your doctor address the root causes of your medical problems or simply prescribe drugs to treat the symptoms?
   

6. •Does your doctor have an associate to whom you can turn should he or she be unavailable?
   

7. •Do you feel at ease asking your doctor questions that may sound “silly”?
   

8. •Does your doctor explain the nature of your condition in simple language?
   

9. •Is the office staff cordial and attentive to you?
   

10. •Does your doctor return your telephone calls the same day?
    

11. •Are you generally seen promptly, or are you kept waiting for a long time when you have an appointment?
    

12. •Does the doctor have hospital privileges at a respected hospital?