Tips on Selecting a Primary Care Physician

with John R. (Rick) Betz, MD, Internal Medicine, Columbia St. Mary’s

Posted: June 1, 2005

Even if you’re being treated by other physicians for certain health conditions, it’s always a good idea to establish a relationship with a primary care doctor if you don’t already have one. That primary care physician is needed to work with your other specialists and to coordinate all of your health care.

The type of primary care doctor your choose depends on your personal preference or circumstance, which might dictate using a family practitioner, an internist or a geriatrician.

Family practioners are similar to general practitioners, but with extra training focusing on health care needs of all family members regardless of ge. An internist concentrates on adult patients, age 18 and older. Some take additional training in certain specialties such as cardiology or astroenterology. A geriatrician specializes in the care of seniors. The geriatrician is trained in family practice or internal medicine, but also has additional training in caring for older adults.

John R. (Rick) Betz, MD, Internal Medicine, Columbia St. Mary’s "Because communication is key to good health, your doctor should be someone you can easily talk with and question."

“Each of these categories of medical doctors can do an excellent job for you,” said Dr. Rick Betz, an internist with Madison Medical Affiliates and Columbia St. Mary’s. “But you have to be comfortable with your choice.”

List your priorities

What should you look for in a good primary care physician? A good first step is to make a list of the things that matter the most to you. Then, go back over that list and prioritize them.

“Obviously, you want a doctor who is well trained and competent,” Dr. Betz said. “That goes without saying.”

Your doctor’s background and credentials are good indicators of a good doctor who can inspire confidence, according to Dr. Betz. “Look for a doctor who is board certified and trained in a specific field of medicine, such as family practice, internal medicine, or geriatrics. That’s one of the most important things you can investigate,” he said.

But there are other important things to consider when choosing a primary care physician.

“A doctor’s communication style or ‘bedside manner’ is very important,” he said. “You should be comfortable speaking with him or her. Because communication is key to good health care, your doctor should be someone you can easily talk with and question. You want a doctor who will listen to your concerns, answer your questions and explain things in understandable terms,” he advised.

“It’s also important to know which hospital the doctor uses to treat patients and if he or she has access to other hospitals where your specialists might send you.”

Dr. Betz believes that the location of your doctor’s office is an important consideration, along with office dynamics. “The office should be located conveniently for you so you can get there without much difficulty.”

And you should be aware of the dynamics of that office. You should know their system for handling phone calls from patients. Is it the doctor who will call you back or is it the triage nurse? How does the office handle prescription refills? What about the doctor’s availability? Which doctors cover for your doctor when he or she is unavailable?

“What are the hours that office is open? Is the laboratory work done at the doctor’s office or elsewhere? On-site laboratory work is convenient and therefore gives your doctor easy access to the results, and you can know those results within hours of the test or on the next day.”

Insurance considerations

It is also important to find out in advance if the doctor will accept your insurance plan or Medicare predetermined payments. “It’s a good idea to phone your insurancecompany and find out if the doctor is covered by your plan,” Dr. Betz added.

If you belong to a managed care plan, you can get a list of doctors from the plan’s membership services office.

Once your have a good idea of what you want in a doctor, ask people you trust for referrals. A doctor whose name is mentioned often might be a good possible choice. But it may help to have several names to choose from in case the doctor you select is not accepting new patients or doesn’t take part in your health insurance plan.

John R. (Rick) Betz, MD
Internal Medicine
Madison Medical Affiliates
788 N. Jefferson Street, #300
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-272-8950

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