Dig for Data. First, turn to some key sources of public information. In a few states, information on whether a doctor has been sued or had his license suspended is available from the state’s medical licensing boards. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group publishes a book called “13,012 Questionable Doctors,” which names physicians who continue to practice medicine despite records of proven incompetence or other serious problems. Compare doctors’ credentials by looking in The American Medical Directory or The Directory of Medical Specialists, which are available in many libraries. Academies of medicine, which are in most large cities, should be able to tell you which local watchdog groups are rating doctors or collecting data on their credentials.
Knock on the HMO’s Door. Any health plan accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance should be able to tell you which of its doctors admit patients to teaching or community hospitals. A doctor with admitting privileges to both is best. Another mark of distinction to look for: doctors who completed a residency program that was affiliated with a major university. Your HMO should also disclose whether a doctor is board certified, which means he has had two to six years of post-medical school training and passed a difficult exam.
Ask the Quality Cops. Most big HMOs have quality assurance departments, designed to monitor customer service, and many compile “patient satisfaction surveys” on doctors. Your plan probably won’t let you see the surveys in their entirety, but it may be willing to pull out data on a limited number of doctors if you ask.
Survey the Ivory Towers. Doctors who teach as well as practice medicine have usually earned the respect of colleagues and are familiar with the latest developments in the field. But a professorship is significant only if it relates somehow to the doc’s area of clinical expertise. For example, teaching a class in the latest diagnostic techniques in internal medicine helps a general practitioner keep current.
Bug the Boss. While HMOs might give short shrift to an individual member requesting information, they’d find it difficult to ignore an employer who’s channeling hundreds of thousands of health-care dollars into their coffers each year. One of the best reasons to ask your boss to run interference for you: if an HMO physician refuses to take you as a patient because of a pre-existing condition that could require frequent office visits. (Some fee structures make it economically undesirable for doctors to see patients too often.) Some employers, like GTE and Xerox, have already begun to compile large health-plan databases that include information about participant satisfaction, surgical procedures and physician quality. Someday all you may have to do to pick a great doctor is stroll over to the benefits department.
