Choosing the right doctor for your family can be a life and death decision. According to webMD.com,  there are almost 3,000 doctors who were disciplined each year for misconduct, negligence or even breaking the criminal laws. However, most of people spend more time on finding coupons to save a few dollars than finding the good doctors. Another reason is that no good ways to select your doctors. After did a lot of research on the web, the following six steps will give you an easy way to find the best doctor for you and your family:

1. Start by asking your friends, family, coworkers, and insurance companies for recommendations. You can get a list of good doctors this way, but might not get the best doctors.

2. Identify the candidate list by search the best hospitals nearby and find a physician on the stuff there.

The best hospital always has the best doctors. This ways you can find the very best doctors in your area. Leapfrog is the website that measures the quality of hospitals.

3. Search online resources

• The NCQA’s Recognized Physician Directory allows patients to search for doctors in their geographical area who demonstrate a high level of performance in providing quality care for diabetics, heart disease and stroke victims.
• Health Grades
  This site charges for many of its services, but it might be money well spent. Just plug in the name of a physician and receive a full report detailing everything from his or her education and training to detailed information about state or federal disciplinary actions that may have been taken against him or her during the last five years.
• Consumers’ Checkbook Guide to Top Doctors   This is doctors’ review on other doctors
• Best Doctors, another similar source for a second opinion:
  
• Ratemds.com   This is the patients who are doing the reviewing. However the data base is limited.

4. Check American Medical Association and American Board of Medical Specialists for the doctors’ education and accreditation

5. Call your state licensing board to find about any registered complaining and disciplinary actions against the doctors on your list.

6. Schedule an interview and make your decision based on the following

• What are the office hour?
• Whether your visit will be with the Doctor or with someone else such as a nurse practitioner?
• Who covers if the doctor is not on call for emergency?
• If everything meet your need you can schedule an interview with the doctor and find out if you and your future doctor can work as a partner.

For further readings:

Give Your Doctor a Check-Up

How To Find A Good Doctor

Choosing a Doctor: Tips for Making the Right Decision

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