Find A Family Practice: New Options For New Parents
You're searching for a new family practice. Now that you're a parent you're on the lookout for the best doctors in your town. And that means finding a pediatrician who meets all your family's needs.
That might mean finding a practice that's open after traditional work hours (beyond Monday through Friday 9 to 5), making sure that the medical staff is available for questions any time day or night or choosing an office that will see every member of your family — including the teens and adults.
Long gone are the days of flipping through the Yellow Pages and finding the first doctor listed. Now there are plenty of other options right, and all you have to do is point (or touch) and click. Take a look at some of the most common ways that parents connect with pediatricians.
Facebook Groups
Where do you go when you want to find the perfect preschool or figure out where the most child-friendly restaurants are in your town? A decade ago you may have asked your closest parent-friends. But now the answers to your most important parenting questions are right at your fingertips.
Local or community/regional parenting groups offer all the information you need. Not only can you get recommendations for doctors in your town, but you can read real comments from real parents who live near you. Along with reading their reviews, you can ask questions to follow-up on the information provided.
Organization and Association Tools
You want a pediatrician who has associations with professional organizations or associations. What's the easiest way to get this information? Go straight to the source. Many professional medical organizations/associations have online search tools that help parents to connect with family practice or pediatric doctors near them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Board of Family Medicine and other similar national groups have "Find a Doctor" tools.
Easy Apps
With a growing number of patients, and parents, going online to search for doctors, the need for easy search tools has risen. With this rise has come a new selection of apps, such as ZocDoc and BetterDoctor. These, along with other apps, provide search tools to find local doctors as well as referrals, patient feedback, and other important information.
The apps may even give you access to the doctor's medical school ranking, years of experience and other insights into their professional (and specialty) expertise.
If you're looking for a family practice or pediatrician, start with your phone. Instead of calling every doctor in your area, take a tip from other local parents on Facebook, visit professional association's sites and use an app or two to get the information you need. For more information, contact a company like Choice Medical Group.
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