Most patients assume that if a license to practice medicine is hanging on the wall of a doctor's office, the doctor is qualified to treat them. But that may not be the case.
For example, I have a license to practice medicine in the states of New York and New Jersey, and that means I have carte blanche to practice any kind of medicine and do any kind of surgery in my office. Although I am totally untrained to practice ophthalmologic surgery, there is nothing to stop me from doing it because no state law forbids my doing so. The type of medicine I practice is not the state's concern. All the state is acknowledging by granting me a license is that I have had four years of medical school plus a year of training as an intern. I can be an OB-GYN, as I am, but I can if I wish also do brain surgery or foot surgery or liposuction, treat your stomach ulcer or take care of your child. Am I qualified to do these things? Of course not.
Board-Certification
What a patient needs to look for, after seeing the state license to practice medicine on the wall of a doctor's office, is a second document testifying to Board-certification in the doctor's specialty. Indeed, even more to the point is to ascertain whether the doctor is Board-certified when you call initially to make an appointment. If you are not entirely certain, you can go online to select the appropriate specialty Board website to ask for information.
The reason I stress Board-certification is because doctors can call themselves infertility specialists or perinatologists or anything else they please. They are not compelled to undergo further training in a specialty in order to practice it. Only Board-certification confirms that they have had the training. A doctor, when asked, may answer, "I'm Board-eligible," or "I'm Board-active," but anything other than the term Board-certified means that the doctor is not a qualified specialist, unless they are just out of residency and are in the process of becoming Board-certified.
For over two decades, the American Board of Medical Specialties has not only required that a physician become Board-certified, but also that he or she maintain that certification with regular examinations and clinical testing of their current knowledge, known as re-certification or maintenance of certification. Many physicians older than 55 years of age who received their initial Board-certification in the early years of their practice have never been re-certified because they have been "grandfathered" into the ranks of the Board-certified. They can do this because it is still a voluntary process. Although I am Board-certified for life, I have chosen to take the examination each year to maintain my Board-certification annually. Some older physicians, many of them celebrities that we know and love, have chosen not to annually maintain their certification and just keep their initial year of certification, which may have been over 25 years ago.
Teaching
Other than Board-certification, a patient should ask her physician whether or not their practice is affiliated with a teaching hospital and medical school, such as Columbia or Mount Sinai. Private practice sounds wonderful, but if your doctor just goes to his or her office each day and never teaches anyone, i.e., a medical student or resident, then their skills and knowledge are usually arrested at the stage when they left residency and they never will know current trends unless they go to a weekend course or three-day seminar; which usually doesn't happen because their patients generate revenue and conferences do not. It's great for a physician to have experience in a certain area, but if he or she is not current, then the experience may have become obsolete. Another attribute of a good physician is if he or she has recently published any medical reports or studies in their respective medical journals, thus contributing to the knowledge so vital in managing patients.
Knowledge, experience, compassion and availability are ideal traits a patient should seek in a physician -- and in a pinch you can do without the compassion. But never settle for compassion in the absence of the knowledge and experience because you only have one body.
Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H., Sc. D. (hon), FACOG, FACS
Note: The above opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of my affiliated medical school or medical center.
Follow Yvonne Thornton, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/doctorthornton
Dr. Dennis Gottfried: Is The Media Covering Medicine Accurately?
Find a doctor - Doctor reviews and ratings - Doctor vitals ...
I have excellent doctors now. They are associated, all, with hospitals and regularly do course work. An orthopedic Office advertises how many cases they have done, the drs specialties and where they acquired their degrees and boards. I always also check online to see if there are any complaints, or judgements against drs I plan to go to.
But medicine is as much of an art as many other professions. I interview new doctors. Ask hem why they have become drs, why this specialization, how many years, how many cases - especially with surgery how many surgeries - are they doing per year. Minimum of 1-2/month. These, and other questions you should ask are advertised on the website of the medical office I go to as a patient.
Board certification won't tell you if the doctor understands your complaints and thoroughly investigates possible causes, it's a computerized test. It's also OPTIONAL for doctors. Board Certification IS NOT required for employment in ER or a private practice, it’s not required to practice at a hospital and it's not needed to be in a HMO.
Older doctors were certified for life, would you let an 80 year old drive a bus? Board certification won't increase your doctors pay and the agencies are extraordinarily lucrative corporations that provide the illusion of quality when it is not based on fact. So, ask yourself, does this paper hanging on the wall give you value? How'd that last car repair from the 'certified' mechanic work out? Telling us to rely on a test, a piece of paper doesn't tell us much.
Show us the doctors quality of care, the number of patients they treat with your condition, how are they? Look for complaints, check his or her case-mix index but don't rely on only this certification.
I'm irreparably damaged by a Probationer Dentist who I stayed with for over a decade and he destroyed my chance to repair his errors forever. He NEVER told me the entire time and after suffering through 3 surgeries he was under probation for harming others. Worse, the Dental Board advertises he's BOARD CERTIFIED which deceives consumers. The fact remains, he's known to the Board members to repeat gross negligent conduct but he's still licensed with a different status and purposely, his patients are not informed at the place of treatment about his conduct or the restrictions placed on his license. When I reported his conduct they collectively lost my dental records. He's not considered negligent even though his conduct destroyed my health and life as I used to know it. I'm on surgery 5 with no hope to repair the damage or dental implants.
I know that doctors are very busy, but I like doctors who take the time to know you well and do not rush every time you have an appointment with them. It's a good sign that they are concern about you and really want to help.
Hope you don't mind, but I also want to share this article that your users might find helpful. It has tips on how to choose a doctor that's right for you: http://www.ladolceliving.com/health-and-wellness/how-to-choose-the-right-doctor.html#What_to_look_for_in_a_doctor
Thanks again!
If you want to find out who's a skilled surgeon ask the chief of anesthesia or the OR charge nurse at your hospital who he or she would choose if his mom needed surgery. They know the real deal about us
"Apprecaite the limits of ones' knowleged, skills and experience."
A good doctor does not have to worry about income.
If you are not affiliated with a teaching hospital, you are unworthy to practice.
Sorry- I taught at a teaching hospital- there were a few good doctors there but most were there because they couldn't survive in the real world-no patient would see them ! So they comfortably ensconced themselves in a government job where they couldn't be fired and results didn't matter.
Is this the ultimate expression of the first semester "gunner"?
Who then provides health care to the masses?
During, my last visit he didn't listen to my heart or breathing patterns or examine my mouth, ears, or nasal cavities. He simply said I should get more rest and exercise more. That was it!
I've decided that during my next appointment, I'm going to voice my concerns to him. I hope he responds favorably. Otherwise, I'm going to find another physician. And, before I become the patient of another physician I'm going to interview him or her to sure that my health takes precedence over his computer...
I have trained and worked at some of the most prestigious medical centers in the United States and have witnessed many well known "luminaries" who made their names through important and groundbreaking research, but whom I would not allow to touch my dog insofar as clinical acumen and skill is concerned. Alternatively, I have worked with incredibly intelligent, diligent, and talented "private practitioners". She really misses the mark in this regard, and betrays a haughtiness which invalidates the appropriate points she makes.
I do agree however, that not all physicians, no matter their specialty are not the same. I would not become involved with a physician of any type who was not board certified (which any respectable hospital requires in order to obtain privileges)
I have had quite a few medical problems in the past, never has a General Practitioner been able to diagnose a single one of them. I have a hereditary form of periphiral neuropathy, terrible symptoms over the years. All going to a Gp got me was the little ole "psychogenic" label and snide remarks from quite of few GP's. The only way I got diagnosed for this problem was because I insisted that I be referred to a hand doctor for him to test my hands for Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
The above scenario is one of 4 medical problems that a GP never seemed competent enough to diagnose. Do most general practitioners aspire to be Psychiatrists, that is my impression, I never make stuff up when I go to a doctor.....LOL.
On the Flip side, I have had great care from American surgeons and Specialists.
It's really a wonder why people are always pushing scope of practice expansions to less-qualified 'medical professionals' instead of the licensed and trained specialists who have gone to school and put in the hours for those procedures.