Perhaps one of the most critical things you will have to do as an expecting parent is find a perfect pediatrician for you. This also applies if you are in need of a new pediatrician for whatever the reason. The most important thing is that the pediatrician fit well with your health views and that they are able to guide or teach you as needed to ensure your child’s health. You may not need to ask all of the following questions, and the interpretations of their answers are entirely up to you. Use them as a guide to find the pediatrician that is going to mesh best with you and your family.
Ask the Doctor:
- How long have you been a doctor, and can I know more about your background and training?
- Are you board certified? If so, with whom?
- What is your overall health philosophy?
- Will your initial meeting with my baby be a first check-up or at the hospital?
- What is your opinion on breast feeding, social development, sleep, childhood obesity, vaccinations, alternative
- medicine, circumcision, co-sleeping, toilet training, discipline, parenting techniques, etc.?
- What areas of study do you specialize in, and find most fascinating?
- Do you have children of your own?
- What supplements do you recommend for children?
- What is your policy on the use of antibiotics?
- What resources and parenting books do you recommend?
- What hospitals and specialists do you work with frequently?
- If there is an emergency at birth, will you be able to treat the baby in the hospital where I am delivering?
- Do you make house calls?
- What do you like best about your job?
Ask the Staff:
- Do you accept my insurance?
- How are emergency calls handled?
- May I have your office hours?
- Are there evening or weekend hours?
- Are there call-in hours for the doctor? If I leave a message, about how long before I will receive an answer?
- How will the questions be answered?
- After hours, is there a doctor on call, or is it an advice nurse?
- Does the practice have a website?
- What is the best form of contact? Email, phone, text, etc.?
- Which services are offered in-office? Which frequent tests need to be handled elsewhere?
- If my child is sick, will I be able to get a same day appointment? Will it be with my pediatrician or another
- professional?
- Who handles appointments when my pediatrician is unavailable?
- How long does a typical check-up last?
- What is the regular check-up schedule?
- Do you accept calls for routine, non-sick questions?
- Is there an extra charge for advice calls during the day, medication refills, after hours advice calls, and any
- other fees I should know about?
- How are insurance claims, billing, payments, and lab policies handled?
Ask Yourself:
- What handouts and information was given to you?
- What was your first impression of the office staff?
- Was there an area for well and sick children in the waiting room?
- Was the waiting room a comfortable place for adults and children alike?
- What brochures were available, and signage displayed?
- Were the office staff helpful and did you feel comfortable with them?
- Did the pediatrician greet your child if with you?
- Did you spend a long time in the waiting room?
- How long were you given in your interview with the pediatrician?
- Does the waiting area appear to be clean?
- How did you feel about the doctor, and any fill-in pediatrician you spoke with?
- Were you comfortable with their views and were they easy to understand?
- Was there a long wait for the interview appointment to be scheduled?
- Did they have all the things you were looking for in a pediatrician?
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