Choose Your Physician Carefully

One of the most important people that you choose to care for you is your physician so you should take your time to make sure that you choose the right doctor.  While your medical insurance may limit your choice somewhat, you can still take control over who you trust with your health and well-being.  It is always a good idea, whether you are looking for a physician in Rexburg, ID or a specialist to check their standing with licensing agencies in the state.  Many people do not realize that they can actually check into a potential doctor’s background and see if they have ever been charged with criminal charges or if they have been disciplined through the state medical board.  However, you do have a right to know and the licensing board in your state can provide that information to you.

After you verify that the physician in Rexburg, ID does not have anything that could be considered objectionable on their record, you should make sure that you have a couple of physicians on your list.  The next thing to do is to try and find people who have gone to these doctors to see what their experience was like since sometimes patients do not file complaints against their doctors.  By talking with people who have personal experience, you will be able to judge for yourself whether you should try out the doctor or look for someone else.  Things that you should look for are communication between doctor and patient, professional and courteous treatment, experience, knowledge, and bedside manner.  A doctor’s personality also plays a role because you want to be sure that this is a person with whom you will feel comfortable with and be able to talk to about any health issues that you are having.  You also need a doctor who will treat you respectfully instead of having an attitude that is not in your favor. 

When you meet with the doctor for the first time, try to create a list of things that you would like to observe during the visit.  The items on your list could be issues like whether he engages in eye contact with you, if he listens carefully to you when you speak, or whether the staff is friendly and helpful.  Even after the first visit, treat this physician in Rexburg, ID with the attitude that this is a trial basis and note how quickly your questions are answered, or phone calls are returned, and how easily you can set up an appointment.