Imagine spending months in pain because your doctor doesn’t think your symptoms are serious. Medical gaslighting is a very real issue, and it’s one good reason for finding a new doctor.
Whether your doctors ignore you or you simply moved to a new place, you need to find a good healthcare professional. Read on to learn how to find a doctor that suits you.
Know What You Need
Of course, you need to determine if you need to see a general practitioner or a specialist. If you have a rare disease, you may need to contact a specialist who can help treat your condition.
Your primary care provider might not know much about your disease. Think about how much care you need and if your current doctor can help or not.
Or if you’re moving somewhere new, you’ll need to find all new doctors. In that case, you’ll need a new primary care physician and new specialists.
Check Your Insurance
Next, you’ll want to look at your health insurance plan. If you’re still deciding between plans, especially on the marketplace, preview plans to see what plans doctors accept.
Once you’ve enrolled in a plan, you can contact the insurance company to request a list of providers. Some plans even have an online directory that you can use for finding a new doctor.
Then, you can make sure to search for a doctor who will accept your insurance. You can go to someone who doesn’t accept your insurance but you’ll have to pay more for each visit.
Research the Practice
To help find a doctor that you’ll enjoy visiting, you should research them and their practice. If you want to visit visit legitmedicare.com, for example, you can go to the practice website.
You can use Google to search for whatever office or doctor you’re considering. Check out their patient services, contact information, and any other details.
Consider if they have any patient reviews on the website. If not, head back to Google and search for patient reviews on various websites, from Google to Facebook to learn what it’s like to work with someone.
Consider the Office Location
Americans drive about 34 minutes on average to go to the doctor. You should consider how far you’re willing to drive for your future doctor appointments.
If you’ll only have to see someone once a year, it may be okay to drive farther. But if you have a serious condition and need monthly visits, you may want to find a new doctor who is closer to where you work or live.
Then, you won’t have to drive as far or for as long each time you have an appointment. That can save you a lot of time and a lot of gas money.
Finding a New Doctor Doesn’t Have to Scare You
Whether your current doctor is no longer a good fit or you recently moved, you should look into finding a new doctor. That way, you can get the care you deserve, and you won’t have to search at the last minute.
Fortunately, you can consider a few things, such as a doctor’s specialty and office location. Use those details to narrow your search to help find someone who understands your needs.
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