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How To Choose A Specialist

Step 5. Interview The Staff

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Once you've narrowed your choices to a few specialists, call each specialist's office and dig a little deeper to shorten your list. We have provided a Questionnaire For The Doctor's Staff.  Ask the ones that are meaningful to you. Feel free to add any questions not on the list.

  • This call could be a good indicator of how you will be treated as a patient by the staff, and possibly even the specialist.
  • Ask to speak to the office manager if possible.  He or she is the most likely to have the answers to your questions.
  • When calling each office, keep in mind that you are not yet a patient and not every office will be willing to answer all of your questions. Therefore, we recommend that you take a minute to review the list of questions. Cross out the ones that aren't important to you. Prioritize the rest in an order that is most relevant to you. Insert a number from 1 -- 17 (or whatever number remains) in the left margin next to the question in order of importance to you. That way if you only get to ask a few questions, they will be those that are most important to you. Even if you ask all the questions, the office interview should require no more than a few minutes of time.  It would be helpful to mention this fact at the beginning of the call.
  • After you have spoken with the different offices, compare your notes and decide if there is an office that you feel will best meet your needs. If you were not satisfied with your office conversations, you may decide to choose some additional doctors and repeat the process.  Trust your instincts and do what feels right to you.

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