Finding Dr. Right – Choosing a Primary Care Provider

First-time parents have so many decisions to make and often can get overwhelmed with well-meaning advice. One of those decisions is choosing a primary care provider (PCP) for your baby. We are fortunate in Rochester to have many outstanding pediatricians, family medicine providers and nurse practitioners in our community. With so many good healthcare options to choose from, your decision may come down to convenience, availability and compatibility.

Choosing a doctor

Most commonly, parents choose their child’s pediatrician during the last trimester in preparation for their child’s birth. It is important to solicit friends and family for recommendations regarding a pediatric office since they know your personality traits and might be best at matching you with a practice that would suit you well. Here are factors you should take into account when making your decision.

• Availability and Convenience Not all practices are accepting new patients and some will only take patients from a specific geographic location, so make sure the office is taking new patients before you get your heart set one PCP. If you grew up in the area and liked your pediatrician, call and ask if she would care for your new baby as well. Pediatricians love to continue their relationships with the next generations in families. (He might even share a story or two with your child about what Daddy was like when he was growing up.) Look in your neighborhood or near your workplace or childcare center. You will be seeing your pediatrician frequently in the first two years, so think about how a trip to the doctor will fit into your daily routine.
• Personal Attributes Is your pediatrician someone with whom you feel comfortable talking? Is there a nurse practitioner available to discuss your concerns and fears? These qualities are best examined with a personal interview. Most offices welcome new parents with a prenatal interview, but be sure to ask if there is a charge for this consultation.
• Office Staff A well-run office begins with a courteous voice when you first call for an appointment and ends with billing staff that can answer your insurance questions. Does your pediatrician’s office welcome your call, provide information, and respond in a compassionate manner? Try to understand the triage system for acute and routine concerns. Solo practitioners will have a much different feel than a large practice, but you might be trading off services that the large office can provide like a lactation consultant or extended evening and weekend appointments.
• Waiting Times for Appointments Most local providers make time to see children for illness concerns on the same day that you call. On the good side, this means that you will see a provider you know and trust in both good times and bad. On the down side, this may mean you have to wait for your appointment when the provider is running behind during the illness seasons. If you hate waiting, ask the secretary at the front desk what the average wait times are to see the doctor or what time of day you should schedule your appointment to minimize the wait.
• Credentials Credentials (including where the physician was trained) tend not to predict much when it comes to parent satisfaction. Knowing where your provider trained is less important than knowing their communication style and personality. The training process after college to become a pediatrician includes four years of medical school along with three years of pediatric residency training. She must then pass a thorough examination of pediatrics in order to be “board certified.” Pediatric nurse practitioners must complete a Masters degree in nursing with clinical experience focused on caring for children and families. With a life-long commitment to keeping up on the latest medical knowledge, providers must complete at least 50 hours of continuing medical education each year.Teaching is what pediatrics is all about.

Pediatricians help teach parents how to care for their children, teach children how to care for themselves, teach communities how to keep children safe and maximize their development, and teach the next generation of medical providers that how you do it is as important as what you do. Since all of you can remember a favorite teacher when you were growing up, think about the attributes of that teacher and use them to pick your primary care provider. Initially, you may not think that you want student doctors involved in your child’s care; however, the best pediatricians are often sought out by the medical school because they are the best teachers. Your pediatrician will also tell you that having medical students and pediatric residents in their office keeps them stimulated and on top of the latest advancements in medicine.Try not to get too anxious over the decision. Just like that paint color you picked for the baby’s room, it will either be perfect, grow on you with time, or drive you crazy, at which point you can make a more experienced choice next time. 

Dr. Neil Herendeen is Director of Pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital and is the Medical Consultant for 292 BABY.