Should You Change Doctors?

It used to be that once you got a doctor, you remained under his or her care for the rest of your life. There is still a concept that we should stay with the doctor we have, simply because it just seems a lot easier to do, since that person is familiar with our medical history, is accepted by our insurance, etc. Even when that doctor falls short of what we expect and offers us substandard treatment, we don't want to rock the boat. There are some M.D.s who can actually be quite intimidating in their approach and sometimes we just do not want to have to deal with their "disapproval", if we question them. We often forget that we are not just patients, but consumers who have a right to get the best service possible.

Are you feeling dissatisfied with the kind of care your present doctor is giving you, but are not sure whether or not you need to switch to another one?

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself to determine if it may be time to say, "Adios!" to your physician.

Does your doctor respond to messages you leave?

If you are calling your doctor and leaving messages for him or her to return your call about something you have a question or concern about, you should expect a response within 1-3 days. It should be a cause of concern if you are routinely getting ignored.

Is your doctor willing to schedule you in for an appointment during a crisis situation?

We all have times when a sudden illness or health crisis comes up and we need to see our doctor right away, particularly if it's something that might be serious. If you see that your doctor won't pencil you in, even under emergency circumstances, then you should reconsider

Is your doctor's support staff polite to you?