How to Choose a Pediatrician
Considerations to Get You Started
After the excitement and fanfare of knowing you are pregnant, it is not easy going through that difficult first trimester, especially when you want to wait to let everyone know. Moving into the second trimester, when you feel confident of the health of your baby, there are new sets of challenges that confront your body in ways you never imagined. Heading into the third trimester, the reality of a new baby starts to really hit you, and everyone else you know. Dealing with all of the well intentioned advice on what you should eat; how you should dress; what you need for the baby’s room; what music you should play to foster the baby’s intellectual development; and so on, can bury one of the most important decisions you will need to make; who will be my pediatrician?
Where can I find help?
When you start this process, most expectant women will have some family members or friends who may have experience and are happy to tell you who they like or don’t like.
You will also likely have some resource to check quality such as a local magazine or bulletin board that lists “Top Docs” in the area. Most of these lists are compiled from surveys of other local physicians or from write in popularity polls, which may not be as reliable. Your obstetrician may have a list of pediatricians they generally recommend as well. If you know a nurse on the post-partum floor at the hospital, sometimes they have first hand knowledge of quality doctors through their interactions with them in the nursery. Unfortunately, many pediatricians have elected to not go to the hospital so they can be available at their office and do not interact with the nurses there. It may be important to look at your insurance participating physician list and make sure you understand how your plan works.
I have picked a few pediatricians, now what?
There are some pretty obvious priorities to start: location, insurance, reputation, but there are a few things more you might consider before deciding. Many pediatric offices have websites which can give you a lot of information on their operations, background on their physicians and other clinical staff, and philosophy of care. The offices with a more responsive awareness and consideration of the increasing reliance on electronic media will have additional features on their website such as patient portals for requesting appointments, forms, or prescription refill, as well as information on a variety of health topics. They may have developed extensive resources that can help you help yourself.
Prenatal visits are also a consideration. There is nothing like getting firsthand knowledge of the office through a visit that lets you see the physical setting, and gives you the opportunity to speak with one of the doctors, get some background health information, and an explanation of how things work. Look around the office and decide if it is patient friendly; do you feel welcome there? Do you get a feeling that the staff likes working there? Are there separate well and sick waiting areas? Do they have a lab on site to take care of the routine problems commonly encountered in a pediatric office? Are there other services available that support the care they provide such as lactation, developmental, psychological, or educational specialists.
What should I ask the doctor?
If this office sees newborns in the hospital, what happens to mom and baby through the delivery and when do you come to see and examine the baby? If there is a problem and your baby needs to be evaluated or cared for by the neonatologist, what role will they play? When will you need to come into the office and how do you make that appointment? What are the routine visit schedules? Do they follow the visit and immunization routines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics? What are the office hours? How long are appointments? Can you choose the practitioner you want to see? How do you handle questions; is there an advice nurse available on the phones through the day? Can you get a question specifically sent to you? How are after hours calls handled? What do you do in an emergency? There are a number of questions that you may have to further refine your impressions, but make sure you think them through so they are clear and easily answered.
Having a baby is likely the most significant event in your life and there are important tasks you need to undertake to get ready. Finding a pediatrician you trust and can work with is going to make your parenting experience better.