Finding a good dentist?!

To avoid substandard care you must research a potential doctor or dentist. Speaking from a personal experience, many are not in business for the right reasons so use your best judgement-your health is your only ultimate asset.

"Although this tip may seem overly obvious, qualifications are a crucial and often overlooked factor in finding a good physician. Many people assume that practicing physicians are always properly licensed and qualified. While this is most often the case, it is not always true. Beyond a basic license, here are some other things to consider when checking out a doctor’s qualifications:

Academic History – A good education is the most basic of all qualifications. Find out which medical school your potential doctor attended, and make sure he or she received a degree.

Board Certification – Board certification requires doctors to complete several extra years of specialty training and pass a demanding board examination. Each board has different requirements. Some of them require continuing education and periodic recertification to ensure that doctors remain knowledgeable about the latest technological advances and procedures. Although board certification does not guarantee physician excellence, it allows average consumers to be certain about a physician’s training.

Continuing Medical Education – Continuing medical education generally consists of educational activities that help to maintain, develop, or increase a health care professional’s knowledge, skills, and professional performance. An ideal physician needs more than just a medical degree. Before committing to a doctor, make sure that he or she has satisfied all the requirements to maintain certification and is up-to-date on the latest medical technology.

Find a Doctor with the Right Specialization - You wouldn’t hire a foot doctor to operate on your brain, and despite being fully qualified in his or her field, a doctor with a specialty that’s not related to your accident or illness does not have a good chance of helping your condition. A knee problem might require an orthopedist’s attention, but an orthopedist that specializes in hands is not going to be able to give you the same specialized treatment as an orthopedist who has been trained to work on knees.

When searching for a doctor, find out about the doctor’s specialty and subspecialty. These are the areas of medicine in which a doctor will have received between three and seven years of additional training after completing medical school. That could make an important difference in your health. Asking the right questions about specialization can help you find the right doctor.

Warning Signs

In previous sections, we’ve laid out which qualifications and certifications you should look for in a good doctor. Those things are important, but you should also look for any warning signs that might be present.

Negative Citations – Be aware of any negative citations a doctor has received. You can check the State Board of Medicine to find out whether a doctor has ever been fined or had her license suspended or revoked.

Malpractice Lawsuits – Malpractice lawsuits against a doctor may also provide insight into his ability (or inability) to treat patients. You can find information on lost malpractice suits at your county courthouse.

Also, the Public Citizen organization's Health Research Group publishes information entitled “Questionable Doctors.” Updated each year, this book offers detailed information on doctors who have been disciplined. Even a good doctor can have a lawsuit filed against him/her by a disgruntled patient, but if you notice that several patients have filed lawsuits against a particular physician, the pattern may indicate that this is one doctor that might be better left to someone else."

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