Posted by bleauberry on November 9, 2008, at 18:56:01
In reply to moving to a new town- what to ask?, posted by thinkingitover on November 6, 2008, at 21:14:16
Some things to try. Actually, I have done all of these. It is a lot of work. But it works. It is kind of like telephone sales...lots of time, lots of deadends, but the ocassional magic hit. You never see the flowers until you've pulled all the weeds.
Write down on paper what you want in a doctor. Spell it out concisely but in as few words as possible. Make a list of these things. Then, call doctors at random. Talk with either the doc's secretary or the doc or both. Go down your list and tell them you are new in town and this is what you want in a doctor. Then ask them, "could I expect that kind of treatment from you?" Their answer will say a lot. Their tone of voice will say a lot. Any hesitation will say a lot. Any making excuses or lectures of the way things are will say a lot. Anything you sense or hear that you don't like, move on to the next phone number. What you are looking for in this phone call is "chemistry". You know, when two people just somehow go together.
Some things to ask:
**If I need to see you on short notice, are you too busy to get me in? (if yes, stay away, you want some accessible, someone not so busy they can't care about you)
**Do you have patients on MAOIs? (if no, this is a lightweight pdoc)
**If I had treatment resistant depression, do you have a good track record with that or would you prefer to refer me to someone else?
**If you did refer me to someone else, what is that person's name? Why them? (this is where I found the best pdoc I ever had)
**Why did you choose psychiatry? (oh yeah, this one will open some doors into the person you are talking with, takes them offguard, and their answer will speak volumes either good or bad)
**How long is the initial consultation and what will we do at that appointment?
**Can I see you twice a month if I want? (not that you want, or maybe you do, you are just trying to see how this answer fits or doesn't fit with answers to other questions you asked earlier)
**Who in your opinion is the best pdoc in the area? Ok, how about just a few of those names?Add whatever criteria or questions are important to you. Delete any of the above if you don't think they are helpful to you.
I think right from the get-go some doctors are going to like you, respect you, and care for you a more than the next patient simply because you took the time to ask meaningful questions like these; or some doctors will feel offended or ego-stricken or defensive or bothered or too busy or something...that's ok...those are the ones you don't want.
You can find the one you want by weeding out the ones you don't want.
poster:bleauberry
thread:861219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081106/msgs/861884.html