Choosing the Right Doctor

Choosing the right physician can be challenging, somewhat tricky and a little stressful, but it’s one of the most important things you will ever do for yourself or your family.  Often, we wait until we’re sick and then choose a doctor out of urgency or necessity, with little or no information about the physician’s qualifications, availability, hospital affiliations or philosophy regarding patient care.  It’s much better, however, to choose your primary care physician (PCP) when you’re healthy – perhaps during your employer’s annual open enrollment process, when you begin a new job, after moving to a new area, or following other life changes.  If you receive your health insurance through your employer, your human resources department can provide you with a printed or online directory of the physicians that are available in your plan. These directories will list the physicians' names and office addresses.  You should, however, gather much more information as you consider which physician will most appropriately serve the health care needs of your family. 

• Will my health insurance plan be accepted? 
  
  Contact the physician's office where you would like to receive care to confirm that your health insurance plan will be accepted.   Provider directories, particularly printed directories, frequently become outdated; so it’s always a good idea to verify your insurance with your physician’s office before you schedule an appointment.
  
  
• What are the physician’s qualifications? 
  
  Becoming a qualified physician is demanding and extensive, beginning in college and medical school and continuing throughout the physician's career.  Having information about the physician’s education and training may help you feel more comfortable about deciding to trust a physician with your family’s care.  Some qualifications to consider include—
  
  
  • Medical School: Four years of education at an accredited medical school.
    
    
  • Residency: Three to seven years of professional training supervised by qualified physician educators.
    
    
  • Fellowship: One to three years of additional training in a subspecialty to become highly specialized in a particular field.
    
    
  • Board Certification: An optional, voluntary process that indicates the physician has completed several years of training beyond medical school, practiced for a designated number of years in that specialty and passed exams in a specialty area.  At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, approximately 95% of medical staff members are board certified in at least one specialty. Good physicians need not be board certified, but it is one indicator of knowledge and professionalism.
    
    
  • Licensing: After completing a series of exams and a minimum number of years of graduate medical education, physicians apply for a permanent license to practice from the state or jurisdiction of the United States in which they plan to care for patients.
    
    
  • Specialized Experience: Physicians who specialize in a particular area of medicine (specialists) should be able to provide information about how many times he or she has performed procedures/given treatment related to a specific condition (such as heart surgery, oncology, gastroenterology, etc.) and how well their patients recover from these treatments or procedures.
    
    
• What is the physician’s availability? 
  
  Is the physician accepting new patients? How long does it take to get an appointment as a new patient?  How long does it take to get an appointment as an established patient?   Who will provide your care when your physician is unavailable?
  
  
• Is the physician's office conveniently located near your home or workplace? 
  
  Does the physician operate out of multiple office locations?  Receiving the absolute best care, however, may outweigh issues related to convenience.
  
  
• What are the physician’s office hours? 
  
  Are evening and weekend appointments available? Is he or she available by phone? If you have a serious medical condition or problem, you need a physician who is easily accessible even during "off-hours."
  
  
• With which hospitals is the physician affiliated? 
  
  If your physician is not on staff (affiliated with) the hospital of your choice, another physician will provide your care if you are admitted.  To find out if your physician is on staff at Providence Holy Cross or Providence Saint Joseph  Medical Center, search our online provider directory or contact our Health Resource Center at
  1-888-HEALING (1-888-432-5464).
  
  
• What are the qualifications of the specialists  in the physician’s group or network (sometimes referred to as an Independent Practice Association, or IPA), and with which hospitals are these specialists affiliated? 
  
  Frequently in health care, primary care physicians (PCPs) will refer their patients only to specific specialists within a health insurance plan.  This may occur even when many other specialists are listed in the health plan’s provider directory.  A PCP’s decision to refer you to a particular specialist may be influenced by your physician’s relationships with certain specialists, or for other reasons, such as prearranged reimbursement contracts.  Furthermore, your PCP’s “preferred” specialists may perform procedures only at certain hospitals, also based on established relationships or prearranged reimbursement contracts.  In addition, some PCPs and groups may rely on hospitalists to care for patients who are in the hospital.  Therefore, when selecting a PCP, it is also important to consider factors related to the qualifications of the specialists and quality and convenience of the hospitals to which you may be referred by your PCP in the event that you require specialized treatment for a specific condition.
  
  
• What services are available in or nearby the physician’s office? 
  
  It will be much more convenient for you if the physician performs laboratory tests, X-rays or other screening and diagnostic tests in the office or is located within walking distance of a facility that offers these tests.
  
  
• How comfortable are you with the physician? 
  
  Medical issues are personal; so you'll want to be able to trust your physician with those issues. Also consider how your physician responds to your questions. Does your physician explain things in medical jargon or in terms you can understand?  Does your physician take the time to answer your questions thoroughly?
  

The physicians of Providence Holy Cross and Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centers have proudly served the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys for several decades as premiere providers of quality health care, consistently receiving prestigious accolades for patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.  In addition, our physicians collaborate with many of the leading medical specialists and institutions in the country to care for patients with extremely rare, specialized conditions.   As a result, patients of physicians affiliated with Providence Holy Cross and Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center enjoy convenient access to the highest quality medical care available in the United States.

Hospitalist:  A physician who specializes in caring for patients in the hospital. Hospitalists do not have an outpatient medical practice — their work is solely dedicated to caring for patients in the hospital.

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Independent Practice Association (IPA):  An organized form of prepaid medical practice in which participating physicians remain in the independent office settings, seeing both enrollees of the IPA and private patients.  Participating physicians may be reimbursed by the IPA on a fee-for-service or a capitation basis.

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Open Enrollment:  During an open enrollment process, a health insurance plan must accept all who apply during a specific period each year.

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Primary Care:  Basic or general health care focused on the point at which a patient ideally first seeks assistance from the medical care system.  Primary care is considered comprehensive when the primary provider takes responsibility for the overall coordination of the care of the patient’s biological, behavioral or social health problems.

Primary Care Provider (PCP):  A family practitioner, internal medicine physician (internist), pediatrician, or obstetrician/gynecologist who provides primary care services.  These physicians are qualified to care for most of your health care needs. If a specialist is needed, the primary care physician will refer you to the most appropriate specialist.

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Screenings:  Medical exams, interviews, and laboratory tests your doctor gives you when you have no signs or symptoms of disease.

Specialist: A physician specially trained in a certain branch of medicine related to specific services or procedures, age categories of patients, body systems, or diseases.  Specialists usually have advanced education and training related to their specialties.

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“Well” Visits:  During a well visit, screenings that can be vitally important to your health and peace of mind are performed.  These visits can reassure you that you show no signs or are at low risk for specific health problems. They can also tell you if you have subclinical or hidden signs of a disease. By diagnosing a problem at an early stage, your physician can intervene when your illness is easier and less expensive to treat...and when you are more likely to enjoy a full recovery.  Finally, health screenings can help your doctor identify risk-factors related to certain illnesses and give you the counseling, monitoring and (possibly) treatment you need to help you avoid developing those illnesses.