April 8, 2016
Categories: Medical Malpractice, Negligence
If you go back to your high school friends and ask them the names of their favorite teachers, you’ll probably get a handful of different answers. Different people respond better to different personalities and learn better from different teaching styles. As you select a doctor for any treatment, it’s important to keep in mind what you personally are looking for. No matter how many of your friends rave about a certain physician, she may not be the right fit for you.
Before you dive into compatibility tests, consider the objective background of the doctor. What is his or her background? Is she keeping up with new training programs? Are you comfortable with his level of experience? If their credentials are solid, as most are, you probably still have a long list of candidates. Maybe cross-referencing it with the doctors your insurance covers will whittle your list down a bit more, but you’ve still got a decision to make.
Many people make the mistake of going onto Yelp or similar rating sites to determine their next physician. Online rating sites can be very helpful in determining basic information about a doctor. One can, generally, get a good idea of how the doctor treats patients and wait times. At the same time, there are nuances that will not be accurately reflected in the online reviews. Due to this, it is important to consider more than just a couple online reviews before selecting which doctor you would like to treat your or a family member.
A phone call to the doctor’s office can be useful. Receptionists often echo the tone of the doctors and nurses they represent. If you’re looking for efficiency, perhaps the bubbly girl who wastes too much time on the phone doesn’t represent the right office for you. If you’re nervous, maybe you don’t want the no-nonsense woman who asks all the hard questions without an attempt to make you comfortable. If you strike a good rapport on the phone, don’t be afraid to ask about the general clientele of the doctor to see if you’d fit in. Maybe ask for a few words that describe the doctor’s bedside manner. The people in the office know those they work with the best.
If you chose the wrong doctor early on in your medical care, and you believe you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Tampa medical malpractice attorneys at Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore today.