How do you choose new GP

Hi friends

Interesting topic for discussion:

How do you choose new GP in case you have to change one? Do you take opinion of friends and family or just randomly go to any doctor?

Actually I have stomach pain since yesterday. Earlier we thought that it will settle on its own but it hasn't and it's bothering a little now. I will have to see doctor tomorrow.

But my regular GP and his cardiologist wife recently shifted the clinic and now practices in place far from my home. So now I have to go to new GP. This one is a lady. She is only slightly away as compared to where my current GP is going.

This lady is suggested by one of mom's friend

Asking around and getting opinions from friends and relatives can be helpful in finding a new doctor - you'll have to judge for yourself after you see her/him if you are comfortable. That's as good of a starting point as any. I once had a Dr who was highly recommended to me - but after I saw him I decided to find another Doctor, just didn't like him or feel comfortable with him.

I have moved to another state two times in the past twenty years. The first time, it was easy to choose my Family Practice doc, though I regretted the choice afterwards, because he was the only one in the county that was on my insurance company's approved list. After the second move, I asked a nurse friend who worked with many of the docs and she gave me three names, but highly recommended one. I made an appointment with him first and he has been my doc ever since.

Insurance + proximity

I've never asked for a friend's or coworker's recommendation for a doctor.

But my wife does. I would love to be privy to those conversations.

"Thanks for the restaurant recommendations the other day. What about a gynecologist. Do you like yours?"

First is if they are accepting new patients.

I got my current GP 9 months after I moved back here from another area of the province. At the time, it was very hard to find a doctor accepting new patients - my old GP from when I was here previously couldn't take me on as she had a full practice. A friend's husband's GP retired and a couple of docs were hired to take his place, so they had room for new patients. I called and they accepted me as I had complex medical needs. They were only accepting new patients with pre-existing conditions.

I just went for the closest to my work. For the type of stuff I’m normally there for, usually my testosterone injections, it’s just more convenient

Insurance, close to home or work, asking others. Decide if you want family practice or internal medicine. I switched to internal medicine after 40, because my insurance changed and the group of MDs closest to me offered internal medicine openings. Very happy with them. They have a more in-depth knowledge about disease processes in the out patient setting. They do not take care of you when hospitalized. Most hospitals in San Diego, CA have physicians who only privude care to you while you are an in patient for medical issues. Surgical issues are handled by individuals in the surgical specialities and are affiliated with 1 or more hospitals.

Insurance, proximity to home, age, education, board certified, ratings on various sites like health grades, etc, and whatever else I can find on the web about them, hospital affiliations...

Insurance, location, I always research online, ask friends, calling an asking of there accepting new patients. I can tell how the office is just by talking to receptionist. Most doctors you see in the ER have their own practice and if seen in the ER you get a feeling for their personality and bedside manner.

I think it’s sad that the majority of us in the USA have to use insurance as our first consideration when choosing a doctor. Our health care in the US is a TOTAL MESS!

Insurance primarily, distance, online research, and asking friends or relatives for reviews is what I do.

The practice I go to has 4 GP's and a NP.

I have had two of them retire on me.

It takes a while to break in a new doctor and with my problems I see him every six months.

This time I chose the youngest one. He is up on all the latest developments.

Perhaps I'll out live this one and not have to change again

I think it’s sad that the majority of us in the USA have to use insurance as our first consideration when choosing a doctor. Our health care in the US is a TOTAL MESS!

Although I listed insurance as my first consideration, having Medicare has not given me any problems, and can't remember when the last times a doctor I wanted didn't accept it.

Generally by recommendation. I want a doctor who is good, and I want a doctor who works well with me. I'm curious and also can be an ornery jackass, and if you pull the authority thing or the "treat me like an idiot thing" it doesn't always go over well. OTOH going over what is up and the rationale behind generally works well.

In the OP's case, if you worked well with your prior doctor I'd just give them a call and ask for a recommendation.

I don't recall ever having a problem choosing a doctor due to insurance limitations.....

I break it down by insurance, gender (I've always had male doctors--I just find it easier to talk about certain issues), and proximity (don't own a car).

From there, I've done the random shout-outs on Facebook to ask if friends have any recommendations--and then see if any of those suggestions match up with the list I pulled from the insurance site. If that doesn't produce anything, I start cross checking the insurance site's list against Vitals or Healthgrades to try to get some sense of what it's like to interact with that doctor and his practice.

The last time I selected a PCP, I went to the GLMA site to find a gay-friendly physician. And that was a first for me--and it's the best medical practice I've ever gone to. It makes a huge difference having a provider who knows how to talk to you. Should I ever change plans again, I'd probably go through the trouble of added paperwork to continue going to this practice. But given the process I just described, I hope I don't change insurers any time soon.

For my last change in GPs, I checked for insurance coverage and location. Anything close to my home works best, and of course, if they take my insurance. The bonus in selecting my new GP, it happens that he has weight management experience, as well has a license to prescribe THC. While I don't have a need for a THC prescription yet, I know I will need one in the future.

My old GP had me on a schedule for my full annual physical during the spring, and shorter follow-up blood analysis six months later, so I was in the doctors office at least every six months. I assume since I am in my 50's, that the new doc will want to keep the same schedule.

If it's a situation like maybe moving to a new town too far from your former GP then I think i'd just see a few doctors in the area and eventually choose which one I'd like having as my GP the most. Of course something like that would probably be better to narrow down to the doctors of a single clinic or something like that.

Using suggestions from someone else or maybe even the clinic would be the next logical thing to do if you don't want to do this. Maybe if you haven't been to the local clinic in a new town before and have to make an appointment with any doctor because of a sudden ailment, you might end up liking the doctor and sticking with them as your GP.

If the situation simply is that you're GP isn't available anymore then again I would probably go with clinic suggestion or others suggestions. Or insurance provider suggestion if it was just a single doctor's location that you were going to and not a clinic. In this case it's likely you might have seen doctors from the same clinic before and just choose from one of them. So a combination of both ideas I had If I found myself in this situation.

But yeah as others have said it will also probably be best to go by insurance coverage and location close to home. And of course there's things people care about like gender that influence the decision.

I would say find the GP's in your area and see if they are accepting new patients, not all of them are. As others have said see who come the most recommended from neighbours family and friends in the area. Also peruse their website to see what services they offer. A lot of GP's have their own interests Dermatology, Asthma, Diabetes etc Looking at their website you will see how long each person has been qualified. Ratio of male female Doctors etc. I know my GP surgery has over 10,000 patients but has 8 doctors plus respiratory nurses GP practitioners nurses. It's a mind field. However if you cant find a GP who you can feel comfortable and able to discuss anything with him or her, then change a good working relationship iis paramount to you to your health

I just went to the same office I went to 8 years ago, of course I had to get a new gp. I got a new female gp for about half a year and then the office decided that I'd be better suited with a male gp. I've seen him a few times just for follow ups but in March will be my first yearly physical with him.

That was easy for me. When my GP closed his office as Obamacare came in followed by most of the others in private practice, the local den of thieves had only 2 doctors who were taking new Medicare patients. One was male and the other female. We were both going to have the same doctor and my wife wanted a female.

Besides what I mentioned in post #8 here, it's important a GP gives good specialist recommendations when need be, as well as taking over from specialist in order to saving me the time and trouble of having to vist lots of specialists for the many though stable conditions I have.

Let's see: Atleast age 50 and having some fragmentary particles of Old School medical thinking /practice remaining in his head.

I had seen other doctors in the same office. I had chose one I'd previously seen because my regular on was busy.

I want to change doctors now but haven't gotten around to it yet. The hospital system I'm switching to has a filter thing you can do to narrow down your choices. I will do that.

Im transgender so I'm stil registered in a near by town under a shared care agreement. I'd love to use a local gp but unfortunately none of them are willing to assist in trans healthcare.

If I get any symptoms of cancer I have to choose between possible death or losing my nhs prescription.

I first see which provider is in my insurance network. Then research until I find one with good reviews.

I have moved three years ago and there are doctors within a 5 minute walk of my new home, a man and two women. The first time, the assistant asked me if I preferred a man or a woman, then, before I answered, she gave me an appointment with the man, while specifying that he could sometimes to be absent.

I booked two and if I go to the first one I don't like them I go to the second one.

I asked my old doctor in my hometown if she knew anyone and she referred me to this one which was on my insurance.

I don't do the enquiry whenever I need to see any new doctor not just GP. My sister does all that job of asking neighbors or checking internet. I just go where my sister takes me to. And so far the experience with doctors has been ok.