How do I choose a doctor?

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Fuck, I'm paying for my own health insurance, and I haven't had a physical for a few years, so I might as well go visit one. But how do I choose? I live in Jersey City, which means there are hundreds of doctors I could go to on my plan within 10 miles (NYC, Hoboken, Jersey City, other nice areas of North Jersey). My gut tells me to go to a doctor in a richer area than where I live, but other than that I have no idea. Also, I have Horizon POS, if that helps anyone make suggestions.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

draw a circle on the ground. throw the doctors in the air; whichever land in the circle, keep, and whichever land outside the circle, let go.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

1-800-DOCTORS

― strng hlkngtn, Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

Pick that Hugh Laurie. He seems very good.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

"house" should have less house calls and more house music!

― s1ocki, TV GUIDE (slutsky), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:08 (twenty years ago)

Thanks, that's all really fucking helpful. (BTW, was 1-800-Doctors a joke or serious? Because there is apparently an actual such number, as I found out through google).

Anyway, here's a specific question -- do you go to an internist or a family practitioner?

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:14 (twenty years ago)

i haven't been to the doctor's in about five years, so i have no idea.

― strng hlkngtn, Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

I just at looked website of the closest facility that my insurance covered. Then I picked the prettiest doctor on the website.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

You mean a female doctor handles your wang?

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)

I just looked her up again, apparently her personal interests include rollerblading and scrapbooking.

xpost, I don't know, I haven't actually gone to the doctor in the last year.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)

Pictures please?

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

Ask around, see what hospitals/practices are well-regarded by people you know. Your impulse to go to a rich area is probably sound.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

http://www.deancare.com/dhs/provider/doc_info.asp?id=178

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

Not bad. In a nerdy, med student sort of way.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:42 (twenty years ago)

But, unfortunately my provider does not post pictures.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

i havent been to the doctor in soooo long.

but internists all the way, i was v. ill for a while and my GP just kept saying "come back in a week if you aren't better" and when I finally went to an internist he had my problem solved within a few weeks (problem = I had gallstones).

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

You get to choose a doctor? They've always just assigned me one. And even then whenever I make an appointment the one they assigned is on holiday or something, and I see a different one. But I'm guessing this is a US/UK difference.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:47 (twenty years ago)

But should I have an internist as my primary, or is it better to have a GP and then just get a referral if I need it?

tissp, I'm in the US, so I'm guessing yes as well. I guess that's the advantage of private health care (the disadvantage being that I pay almost $400 a month for the most basic plan as a single person)

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

I think even private health care in the UK doesn't give you the ability to choose your doctor, although I might be wrong. I supposedly have private health insurance in the UK (lynch me, NHS supporters), but I'm yet to use it, so I wouldn't really know.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 22:01 (twenty years ago)

Cut out the middleman and get an internist if you can. In my experience (a situation remarkably like Mandee's) getting referrals is a bureaucratic pain in the ass and can be a waste of everyone's time and your money (esp. for an undiagnosed illness), and may open you up to having to deal with the insurance company way more than you ever expected to.

Also something to check if you find a doctor you like--what are the other doctors like that he or she shares a practice with (if that's the case) since you may end up seeing one of them someday instead.

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

When I chose my doctor from the provider's list, I chose the guy that spoke the most languages: Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish & Tagalog. I had no other criteria to go by, so I figured he'd be worldly at least.

Well, it turns out he's an IMMIGRATION doctor, and a Filipino. He treats me great because I'm his only real patient - he'll spend lots of time chatting, and give me any referral he thinks I need. I think I lucked out. He's still my doctor, when I go (it's been over a year now).

― andy --, Tuesday, 21 June 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

(He does speak English as well, BTW.)

― andy --, Tuesday, 21 June 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

i gotta do this because i have my own insurance now. i didn't even know you could get an internist instead of a gp! really how is it done? there are like 100 hospitals here, what if i just went to one. i might go with the who speaks most languages route. i also have to pick a dentist and an eye doctor!

― the girl with the butt tattoo (harbl), Thursday, 2 September 2010 00:02 (fifteen years ago)

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