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what did everyone consider in selecting a pediatrician? i don't want to be too picky, but some of the details bug me. i'd like a doctor's office that has left the 50s and maybe uses technology to some degree. obviously i'm not going to pass on a good doctor for this reason, but i think using technology helps an office run more efficiently and reflects on the doctor to some extent. same with charging a fee for releasing records or signing a form...how much should i let that stuff bother me, is it standard practice?
also, thoughts on doctor's that are from the US but went to school outside of the US?
Things I consider is the doc's position/flexibility on things such as vaccination schedule, knowledge about breast feeding on demand, and other major parenting choices. I also consider whether or not I can get a hold of an on call nurse with those health questions that always seem to pop up at nights and weekends (things like "is this fever too high?", "does this sound like something that can wait until morning, or should I start heading for the ER?"
I'm not sure what you mean by technology? For serious issues, my pedi will refer us to the right place, such as when my daughter needed an echocardiogram.
As for docs from foreign countries... for me it depends on where it was (e.g. some university in the Caribbean that accepts any student who can pay versus someone who immigrated here after receiving his/her degree from a reputable school.) Either way, foreign students have to pass the board exam before they can practice in the US, and that's no piece of cake from what I hear.
Things I consider is the doc's position/flexibility on things such as vaccination schedule, knowledge about breast feeding on demand, and other major parenting choices. I also consider whether or not I can get a hold of an on call nurse with those health questions that always seem to pop up at nights and weekends (things like "is this fever too high?", "does this sound like something that can wait until morning, or should I start heading for the ER?"
I'm not sure what you mean by technology? For serious issues, my pedi will refer us to the right place, such as when my daughter needed an echocardiogram.
As for docs from foreign countries... for me it depends on where it was (e.g. some university in the Caribbean that accepts any student who can pay versus someone who immigrated here after receiving his/her degree from a reputable school.) Either way, foreign students have to pass the board exam before they can practice in the US, and that's no piece of cake from what I hear.
well, i'm not very concerned about vaccination schedule, and don't want to go down that road, but i see your point.
as for school, same thing...i know there are doctors from the US that went elsewhere cause they couldn't get in...i'm ok with doctors who came here from a foreign country, i'm less ok with people who couldn't get into school here so went somewhere easier.
as for technology...electronic records, e-prescribing, etc. i think in the year 2010, doctors should start embracing technology. i dislike inefficient offices with all paper records that only take cash or check...it's not a dealbreaker though by any means.
We looked for a ped that did NOT random prescribe antibiotics routinely and without an office visit.
We looked for a ped who was also on staff with the big city Children's Hospital, for continuity of care in case of emergency.
We looked for a ped with a well-managed practice, sparse waiting rooms, and a clean bright facility.
We looked for a ped on our insurance plan.
We looked for a ped that would take the time to talk with us and our kids.
We looked for a ped with values similar to ours.
Technology... meh. Not very important in the big picture.
Copy fee for records... pretty much standard practice.
Doctor with a degree from a foreign university... never encountered that.
We looked for a ped that did NOT random prescribe antibiotics routinely and without an office visit.
We looked for a ped who was also on staff with the big city Children's Hospital, for continuity of care in case of emergency.
We looked for a ped with a well-managed practice, sparse waiting rooms, and a clean bright facility.
We looked for a ped on our insurance plan.
We looked for a ped that would take the time to talk with us and our kids.
We looked for a ped with values similar to ours.
Technology... meh. Not very important in the big picture.
Copy fee for records... pretty much standard practice.
Doctor with a degree from a foreign university... never encountered that.
I work in a pediatrician's office.
Of the above, #4, #5 and #6, IMO, are the most important. Being on staff of a big city children's hospital is not that important, IMO. If your child needs care at such a facility, the docs there will keep communicate with the community docs. I think most docs are on board with #1 these days. In fact, in talking with parents, it seems the parents' docs are sometimes more willing to prescribe antibiotics than we are, when child and parent have the same illness. Our waiting room sometimes looks like a Greyhound bus station. It just depends. On a day when there is no school, parents will bring in all their young kids for an appointment for one. The waiting room can get trashed really quickly; it just takes one or two people bringing in snacks, etc. I guess by well managed you mean you don't wait a long time for appointments. I can relate to that, and we really try.
We're not real high tech, though there is some talk of going EMR soon. We don't charge for records. Sometimes we think we should, b/c some patients repeatedly ask for things like immunization records. We don't have any foreign educated doctors at the moment.
I think it's helpful for doctors to have a separate well and sick waiting area especially for newborns. You don't need your brand new baby next to a touchy runny nosed toddler.
I think it's helpful for doctors to have a separate well and sick waiting area especially for newborns. You don't need your brand new baby next to a touchy runny nosed toddler.
Agree. We have such areas; however, it's sometimes hard to get people to follow the rules. I once called a patient with suspected pertussis (whooping cough) of high school age and found him and his mother sitting on the well side. I said "I thought I'd find you on the sick side" and the mom said, "Well, we don't know for sure he has pertussis".
When the kids were very little, I made sure the ped was up to snuff on issues such as breastfeeding and circumcision, and who accepted alternative vaccination schedules. I also was sure to choose a ped who did not routinely say "go to the ER." Our ped from when the kids were little was AWESOME, and would come in on the weekends or even after hours to meet us if the kids needed medical care.
Now that they're bigger, though, I have fewer concerns, other than them being someone whose judgement I trust. We go so infrequently that their stance on breastfeeding or the importance of the flu vaccine does not matter to me.
Agree. We have such areas; however, it's sometimes hard to get people to follow the rules. I once called a patient with suspected pertussis (whooping cough) of high school age and found him and his mother sitting on the well side. I said "I thought I'd find you on the sick side" and the mom said, "Well, we don't know for sure he has pertussis".
Our ped actually has a 3rd section for teenagers (it has the TV where you can actually change the channels!) -I guess that they are often embarrassed to waiting for the same doctor as toddlers. I'm not so sure though if it's for well teenagers or they lump them all together. They're not sharing toys in there but they are touching that same remote.
Our ped actually has a 3rd section for teenagers (it has the TV where you can actually change the channels!) -I guess that they are often embarrassed to waiting for the same doctor as toddlers. I'm not so sure though if it's for well teenagers or they lump them all together. They're not sharing toys in there but they are touching that same remote.
Yeah, and it's the coughing and sneezing that go on, too, that can spread illness. I just like keeping the sick kids away from the babies. Maybe the solution would be to have a well-baby waiting area. It probably wouldn't be honored, either, sadly.
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