Finding Dr. Yes

Is your M.D. giving you the top-notch, cutting-edge care you deserve? In this, the first in a four-part series, learn all the best ways to take control of your health.

- Stephen Ornes

The lousiest doctor I’ve ever visited had a memorable waiting room. Everything— every pen, pencil, clipboard, clock, name tag— trumpeted the name of a big pharmaceutical company. Not once did I sit there without seeing a stream of drug reps file through, roller bags rolling behind, to be greeted warmly and whisked behind closed doors. • I stuck with Dr. No until the day I’d secured the morning’s earliest appointment but still waited two hours, with my tantrum-prone toddler and debilitating stomach pain. As I was led back to the dim examination room, I passed Dr. No chatting with a flock of those smartly dressed, ruthlessly attractive drug reps. When he finally deigned to see me, my son was yowling like a feral pig. What I remember from that three-minute “exam” was his opening line, which came across as, Can you shut him up? • It was then I decided: I need a new doctor. Here’s what I learned about how to do it.

First, narrow the pool

A variety of forces may drive us to seek a new physician. We move; we marry; we reproduce; we divorce. We change jobs; we turn 26; our employers change—or drop—insurance plans; our doctors leave our networks; our networks leave our doctors; doctors retire; we turn 66.

How to start the search? Googling can accomplish only so much. To get a provider who also gets you—whose services align with your budget and insurance—requires some effort.

First, save yourself a lot of trouble by knowing what your insurance does and doesn’t allow, so you can minimize costs and get the most bang out of your benefits with someone who’s in your network. Out-of-network providers often mean hefty out-of-pocket fees.