When it comes to your health, you deserve to get quality care that can meet your specific needs as you age. You know what you want in a new primary care doctor, but it's also important to consider the qualities that should be avoided when choosing someone to care for you. Here are three qualities to avoid when deciding which primary care doctor to build a relationship with:
A Tendency to Overbook Appointments
When a doctor overbooks their appointments, everyone pays a price. Their employees have to work harder than they should and figure out how to focus a balanced amount of attention on each patient throughout the day. Patients end up having to wait longer in the waiting room than they should, when they could be focusing their time on their family or social commitments.
To avoid having to wait for more than just a few minutes to see your doctor on appointment day, it's important to make sure that your doctor doesn't have a tendency to overbook their appointments. Before completely committing to a prospective doctor, test the waters by scheduling two initial appointments – a consultation and a checkup.
Pay close attention to how many people are in the waiting room and how long you have to wait after your appointment time to see the doctor. This insight should give you an idea of what you can expect during future visits. A lot of waiting could indicate a lot of wasted time for you in the coming months and years.
Poor Communication Practices
It's also a good idea to consider the communication practices of any prospective primary care doctor before deciding whether to become their patient. If you have to wait days for a call back about the results of a test, or to have your questions or concerns addressed, it could cause unnecessary stress that results in a poorer quality of life as time goes on. And if an appointment is canceled without you being notified, you'll likely experience frustration about wasted time when all is said and done.
Before becoming a new patient of a prospective doctor, take the time to test out the various communication options they offer, including phone, email, and even fax. After a few responses you should be able to determine whether your long-term communication needs and expectations will be met.
A Small Collaboration Network
If you ever end up in need of specialized care that your primary care doctor can't handle, you shouldn't have to find a qualified third-party care provider on your own. It's important to make sure that the doctor you choose has access to a large collaboration network where they can tap into colleagues they have personal relationships with when necessary, in order to provide you with the quality expert care that you deserve.
Whether it's the latest cancer treatment you want to learn about or you're in need of a specialty surgeon, your primary care doctor should be able to refer you to a reliable, qualified care provider with a solid track record. When consulting with potential doctors, ask them about their networks and what kind of specialty doctors they collaborate with or have personal relationships with.
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