Finding and Selecting Physicians
General Information
For
Finding Location and Practice Information
The following sites provide self-reported information
on physicians. Visitors can search by names of physicians or by
geographical locations and specialty. Types of information include:
education, specialty, hospital admitting privileges, languages spoken and
insurances accepted at the office, location.
The American Medical Association
· 800-621-8335 (For AMA
members)
More detailed information (per above) can be found on
some member physicians throughout the US. Limited contact information may
be found on some nonmember physicians.
New York State Department of Health
· 888-338-6999 (Toll Free)
Information is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Russian and Haitian
Creole.
Google Search Engine
Enter “Physician Profiles” in the search box for
links to physician profiles in a number of different states.
For Qualification Information
(Are they Board Certified?)American Board of Medical Specialties
· 866-275-2267
Two free verifications of certification are available
to the public via phone or by clicking on “Who’s Certified” on their web
site. Also available in many public libraries is The Official ABMS
Directory of Certified Medical Specialists. Hospital and college
libraries might have this as well.
For
Surgical Experience and Results Information
In some instances, it is possible to learn what a
doctor’s experience doing certain surgeries is. The following links
indicate the number of particular cancer and heart surgeries a doctor
does.
Healthcare Choices · No Number Listed
For a limited number of states and even more limited types of surgeries, this site provides the numbers of surgeries performed by individual physicians and their risk-adjusted mortality rates.New York State Department of Health
Click on ‘Center for Consumer Health Care Information’ then on ‘Cardiac Surgery Reports.’For Legal and Disciplinary Action Information
What legal actions (malpractice, criminal convictions, hospital restrictions and so on) have been taken against a doctor or physician’s assistant? Why were they taken? Note that charges of professional misconduct are usually revealed only if investigations of those charges have resulted in legal or disciplinary actions.Federation of State Medical Boards · No Number Listed
Disciplinary Action histories for specified physicians are available for a fee of $9.95 per physician. Ordering options: Online or by mail.
New York State Health
Department, Office of Professional Medical Conduct
800-663-6114
(For disciplinary actions prior to 1990)
A search for disciplinary
actions can be conducted by entering a physician’s name or license number
as well as by license type (MD, DO, RPA).
Google Search Engine
Enter ‘Physicians + Disciplinary
Actions” in search box. This will bring up various sites, some of which
link to an individual state’s listing of disciplinary actions.