Consumer Watch: What makes a good doctor and medical practice?

A number of readers often ask what I’m considering for upcoming columns. When I mentioned last week’s topic concerning physicians to beware, the question always followed “So what about the good doctors?” And, of course, these “goodies” make up today’s feature.

Those of us of a certain generation fondly remember our childhood practitioners who personified the term “family doctor.” They made house calls, were available at all hours day or night and, in my small Southern town, even brought gifts to their younger patients. One of my two favorite childhood loves – a brown teddy bear with shoe button eyes – was presented to me by Dr. Aubrey Stabler, Sr. on one of his many home visits/exams. Unfortunately, those proverbial “Dr. Marcus Welby” types mostly are a thing of the past, even though current research proves we all need good primary physicians for better overall health and fewer cases of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and fewer emergency room visits and hospital stays. Even worse, studies show most new doctors these days prefer specialized medicine over family care for the pay and less hassle. So when searching for a good – no, a great – doctor, always look for a first-class medical practice. How well a primary practice doctor cares for patients depends, in part, on his or her team and the environment they’ve created. When finding your Dream Doc, look for the following, as researched by Consumer Reports:

Extended hours, including opening early and closing late, as well as Saturday hours, often mean patients avoid the emergency room. Doctors within the practice rotate working the extended and Saturday hours.

Over treating isn’t a problem at good practices. Spending enough time with patients is key, especially when it means understanding the case and avoiding unnecessary tests and/or procedures.

(Legitimate) Patient complaints are important to practices that understand teamwork can turn these remarks into compliments. By each person in the practice meeting regularly to discuss all patient complaints and comments, these remarks can be turned around in a positive manner to benefit everyone

Expanded know-hows are normal occurrences. These basic procedures, such as joint pain injections and skin biopsies when performed in-house, save patients time and money. In fact, some top practices even arrange for specialists to come to the office to perform certain exams, such as exercise stress tests that might otherwise be completed through a cardiologist. (Along this same line, the best primary care practice docs actually confer with specialists so mutual patients don’t duplicate tests or medications.)

Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork! Top practices take advantage of healthcare staff other than the doctors themselves; these include nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nutrition counselors, and sometimes even social workers. Since the docs can’t do their own job and everyone else’s, too, this team approach takes the whole patient into consideration. Starting with the receptionist, everyone who sees patients throughout the day questions them about their needs – and not just the medical reason for the visit. Moreover, a “successful” practice isn’t deemed such because of the quantity of daily patients who bring in bunches of bucks; instead, high-performing groups are compensated primarily based upon the quality of their work. For example, when patients’ satisfaction rates high, everyone in the practice receives a bonus.

Better medical practices and their providers tend to avoid continuous purchase of the latest, high-tech, expensive devices and, therefore, avoid the temptation to prescribe unnecessary tests to recoup the price of the equipment. Instead, they concentrate on efficient technology, like electronic medical records.

And, finally, despite all cautionary measures, some of us still may find ourselves the victim of negligent or dangerous care. The most obvious complaints are physical or sexual abuse, but don’t forget suspicions that he or she is practicing under the influence of alcohol/drugs, over-prescribes a drug or prescribes the wrong medication, fails to give accurate results of a worrisome problem or conveys an incorrect diagnosis. In any of these events (or even less clear-cut misgivings), please speak up to bring Drs. Harry and Henrietta Harm to justice. 1) Contact the police and an attorney. The abuse should be turned over to law enforcement, and an issue related to malpractice needs a lawyer’s advice pronto, particularly if potential for payout exists. 2) The next step is to communicate with the state board at consumersunion.org/safepatientproject. 3) As always, be certain you’ve documented up the yingyang from your very first moment of doubt. Submit a hard copy of the complaint, along with your medical records and any other supporting facts/documents. Then sit back and be “patient” (pun intended), as it can take months for an investigation and final ruling.

Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com