If you need a doctor who makes housecalls, see the website of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians (www.aahcp.org ). It lists doctors and other health care providers by state and zip codes for the areas served.

Even the best schools or residencies have people who are at the bottom of the class who may not be the best specialists.

Many health plans, state agencies and watchdog groups offer consumer scorecards that rate doctors. The ratings measure such things as whether the doctor follows "best practices," safety, patient satisfaction and cost. Some web sites also include doctors' performance on specific procedures.

• If you have health insurance, start by checking your health plan's Web site.
• Check to see if your state health department has a site. For example, New York's www.nyhealth.gov/ and Pennsylvania's www.phc4.org .
• Some companies, such as Health Grades, Inc. (www.healthgrades.com) provide ratings by consumers for free. 

Check to see if there have been disciplinary actions against the doctor. www.healthgrades.com provides disciplinary information for free. To learn more, see: Has A Doctor Been Subjected To Disciplinary Action? (NOTE: Take consumer ratings with a grain of salt. If you are interested in a doctor, ask him or her why she or he is rated in a certain way.)

If you learn of additional sites about a doctor's quality, please share the information via Survivorship A to Z

Your primary care doctor will tell you what kind of specialist you need.

Factors to consider when choosing a specialist follow. While the factors may the same for choosing any doctor, which are important to you may differ depending on the particular doctor's role in your life.

• Board Certification: Certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties is evidence that the specialist has received the proper training, performed the specialized residency, and has passed an extensive examination directly related to a specific condition and/or medical specialty. It does not certify the amount of a doctor's experience with your particular condition. To learn more about board certification, and to see if a particular doctor is board certified, see www.abms.org
• Hospital Affiliation: Doctors can only admit patients to hospitals if the doctor has an arrangement known as "an affiliation" with that hospital. The better the hospital with which the doctor is affiliated, the better the doctor is likely to be. Hospitals check background and quality on an ongoing basis. It is also likely that you will get better care in a better hospital, which in turn affects the result.
• Medical School: Do you care in which country the school is located, and about the name of the school?
• Payment: If you have health insurance, does the specialist accept it? If you don't have health insurance, is the amount of the specialist's charge an issue?
• Hospital Residency: Some people only want specialists who were a resident at a prestigious hospital.
• Years in Practice/Age: 
  • Does age matter to you? Generally, the age of the doctor does not affect outcome. However, age may relate to your comfort level.
  • The longer a doctor has been in practice, the more experience he or she has. On the other hand, the doctor is also further away from the latest developments being discussed in medical school.
• Sex: Do you prefer a doctor of the same sex you are?
• Clinical Trials: Do you care whether the specialist heads or is involved in clinical trials relating to your condition?
• Solo or Group Practice? Both types of practices have their advantages. 
  • A solo practice may provide more continuity of care and allow for the development of a more personal relationship with the doctor. 
  • A group practice may be a group of doctors with the same specialty or different specialties. A group practice may provide for additional medical opinions and more extensive services.
• Location: Is the specialist's location important to you? Location may be more important if you will see the doctor on a continuous basis than if you only see him or her once or a few times.
• Parking or Other Transportation: Important to you?
• Hours: Is it only convenient for you to see the specialist on certain days and/or hours?
• Language: If English isn't your first language, do you need a specialist who can speak your language -- or at least have translation available?

While the following will not be relevant to your initial search, start thinking about things you care about that will only become clear once you meet the doctor. For instance:

• Bedside manner: Does the specialist's personality matter to you? You may care more about a personal relationship with a primary care doctor or a specialist you'll see over time than a specialist you see for a particular event, such as a surgeon.
• How much do you want to participate? Do you want a specialist who tells you want to do? At the other extreme, do you need to make all the decisions? Do you want to think of your specialist as a partner, a member of your team who gives you his or her opinion and expertise, discusses matters, and lets you make the final decision?

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.

Yes, specialists do interview.

During this initial visit you may choose to simply interview the specialist or you may choose to have a complete physical examination in addition to the interview process -- particularly if the doctor charges for the visit. While we wish we could say that the specialist will give you an interview session for free, the odds are you will be charged for the interview (or it will be covered under your managed care plan.) If you will be charged, you may as well be examined at the same time. If you decide to combine the two, read How To Work Most Effectively With Your Doctor, to make the most of your time together.

When you schedule the appointment, let the person who makes the appointments know you will need enough time to ask questions as well as to have the examination.

Once you've completed the investigation process:

• Review your notes.
• Ask any additional questions you have.
• Trust your instincts.