how to find the best doctor or dentist
This is a big one, I think. Good healthcare seems to be more and more difficult to find in the U.S.. at least from what I read in the paper or online.
But I have a great tip for finding excellent doctors and dentists to share: ask your family and friends for referrals. They are your best source for CANDID assessments of local healthcare professionals (I like Yelp, but not for this). When you ask them for suggestions, be sure to ask them WHY. Every doctor or dentist I’ve found (and stayed with) came from a passionate, personal referral. Randomly searching the Internet or consulting our insurance company’s list of preferred providers has rarely produced a healthcare professional I’ve visited more than once. Sad but true.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share a few stories of how personal referrals have rewarded me in spades over the years. After our first son was born in Belgium (where we received incredible pre and post natal care), we returned to the U.S. and settled in Sunnyvale. I joined a new mother’s group at Stanford and made some amazing friends who have remained in our lives even as our children have (mostly) gone their separate ways.
Two, possibly more, baby group moms raved about their OB/GYN, Dr. Francis McNee. I decided to give him a try as we were by then thinking baby number two. Dr. McNee is warm, kind and always solicitous of my overall health. Although he did not end up delivering our second child (since my husband’s job whisked us off to Texas for two years) I returned to Dr. McNee and have been in his stellar care ever since.
When I started having issues with the circulation in my hands in 2003, Dr. McNee recommended his colleague, Cathy Riker, a GP/rheumatoid specialist. Dr. Riker is officially my favorite doctor EVER. Not only is she warm and engaging (like every doctor I’ve seen at Menlo Medical), she takes SO MUCH TIME with me… every time! My dad, a physician, was extremely impressed with the breadth and depth of testing Dr. Riker employed as well as her thorough examination of possible treatment options for my Reynaud’s Syndrome. Every time I visit Dr. Riker, it’s a total lovefest. We have free ranging discussions from travel to food to child rearing and I feel as if I’m catching up with a friend, not consulting my doctor. How often does that happen in today’s world of assembly line medicine?
Fast forward to September 2010 when I started having irregular heartbeat issues again (stress level=high). Since I trust Dr. Riker so implicitly, the first thing I did was call her office for a recommendation. They gave me two excellent suggestions and I opted to go with the cardiologist at Menlo Medical, hoping my lucky streak would continue. I’m pleased to report that Dr. Jeffrey Guardino is my next favorite doctor (I can’t imagine anyone taking Dr. Riker’s place as number one, of course).
And here’s what can happen when you have this caliber of medical care: In advance of my visit with Dr. Guardino, he ordered a number of tests including blood work. I had the blood drawn on a Wednesday and received a call from Dr. Guardino’s nurse THE NEXT MORNING. My blood tests indicated a bit of anemia and Dr. Guardino wanted to make sure this was addressed as soon as possible (basically having me start iron supplements). Dr. Guardino’s office then called Dr. McNee’s office and I heard from Dr. McNee’s nurse not two hours later! Has this sort of response ever happened to you? I was blown away by the coordinated effort made by Menlo Medical to ensure that even minor health issues receive immediate attention.
Things got even better when I met Dr. Guardino and spent A LOT of time with him. He went through every test result and gave me both good news (irregular heartbeats are there but within the range of normal… yeah!) and bad (my blood sugar is a bit high for me). Even though he is not my general practioner, Dr. Guardino acted as such, prescribing a low glycemic diet (major bummer for a foodie wannabe like me) and weight training to build a few pounds of muscle. He wants to see me again in a few months to recheck blood sugar and assess where to go from there. I am in awe of how concerned he is for my overall health, not just my heart.
In conclusion, if you want great medical care, ask your personal network. Chances are, if your friends like a particular doctor or dentist, you will too!
P.S. I can’t leave without a shout-out to my new favorite dentist, Dr. Fella Benyami (courtesy of my dear friend, Becky). Dr. Benyami is the BEES KNEES! We talk about life, fashion, food, children, etc. during my visits and just this morning she had me try on THREE nightguard appliances (each custom made for me) to see which one fit and felt best – note that she only charged me/my insurance for the making of a SINGLE appliance. Dr. Benyami, thank you so much for taking such great care of me; I’m yours for life!
Apples photo by Carole Gomez/Istockphoto
Our pediatrician in Switzerland was great, and came highly recommended by two separate sources. I was so sad to have to leave him when we moved away! Since then it’s been much more luck-of-the-draw… our new pediatrician here in Sacramento is basically the only one that was still taking patients at the nearby KP location. But, so far she seems nice enough… we’ll see how things go. I also found my midwives by chance, and so far have received great care through them… I love how much time they take with me, it’s nice to have prenatal appointments that last a full hour rather than just 15 minutes!It’s so wonderful that you’ve had such great experiences with your doctors. It seems rare these days, sadly…
I agree with these. In this days, i think it’s not hard to look for a best dentist. There’s a lot in there, im sure. <a href="http://www.fidleronthetooth.com">Dental Seattle</a>
When finding doctors and dentists, it would be better to ask people who have gone to them. Check their backgrounds as well. The assessment of local healthcare professionals is definitely a good way of assuring quality service.