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A move to a new city creates a lot of hassles. Beyond stresses related to moving and then trying to acclimate to an entirely new area, you no longer have access to your primary medical support system of healthcare practitioners that you acquired over time while living at your old location. The loss of even one trusted doctor can hit you hard if you suddenly become ill right after the move or have a chronic health problem that requires regular professional assistance. You’re then stuck trying to manage your healthcare with total strangers.
To make the process of finding one or more great doctors easier, check out a variety of resources:
Social Networks
Your work, private and other social networks can help you. New co-workers and even neighbors are usually eager to help. They might provide details about their favorite physicians or offline and online information resources. They might also tell you horror stories about the worst doctors in the area.
When checking social networks, never forget that groups in popular online social networking platforms can also be a great resource. Ask about doctors in local online community and yard sale groups.
Insurance Provider
The company that provides your health insurance also has information about regional doctors. Call their customer service line or check their online database.
Keep in mind while searching that you must typically choose an “in-network” physician to benefit the most from insurance coverage. Otherwise, you might have to deal with a large medical bill if your insurance plan doesn’t cover part or all of an “out-of-network” appointment.
Healthcare Organizations
Workers at healthcare organizations, including hospitals, walk-in clinics, and even medical device sales stores, can refer you to the doctors they know best and prefer to see. These organizations have databases that can be used to assist you with your search.
When you talk to a representative, always check that they are using an industry leading hcp database that provides state licensing and other details like physician addresses and names of doctors by specialty.
This type of database is one of the best ways to confirm that a local healthcare practitioner is up-to-date with meeting licensing and regulation requirements.
Online Testimonials
No matter where you search for a doctor, it’s critical that you use online resources as cross-referencing tools to help you narrow the search and make an informed decision.
A simple online search using a specific doctor’s name can lead you to review websites where you can learn about the doctor’s history with other patients. For example, you might learn that a doctor that someone recommended is often late for appointments or has a poor attitude even though they’re an expert in a particular field.
You might also learn that a doctor who does great with families and standard health problems is horrible at handling patients with chronic conditions.
You don’t have to be a healthcare expert or professional researcher to find a great doctor. You merely need to know where to look for information and then take the time to methodically get to know the options in your new city. Additionally, a great doctor might also have a long waitlist.
For this reason, you should consider more than one doctor per specialty so that you have backup options if you can’t get an appointment with your first choice doctor.
