How Do I Choose a Health Care Provider for My Child?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of local parents takes your questions, gives advice and shares solutions.

Today, we take on the question of how to choose a health care provider for your children. Grab a cup of coffee and check out what our panel of local parents has to say.

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Kat Lynch: One resource I'd suggest is the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine's website, where parents and caregivers can verify the credentials of health care providers and determine whether they have had any issues with malpractice, hospital disciplinary action or criminal behavior. 

And from this article on Babycenter, I see that the American Academy of Pediatrics has referrals to certified practitioners.

When we were looking for a pediatrician for Miles, we interviewed several prospective physicians. It was time-consuming but was really worth it to help us find a good fit. Every family is different, but in our case it was important that Miles's physician be near our home (not more than one town away), in a multi-physician practice (so scheduling would be easier), and have admitting privileges to all the area hospitals (Boston and closer to North Reading).

During the interviews, we got a sense of how each pediatrician and/or group practices, their priorities and views on important issues, and whether their personal style seemed like a good fit. Babycenter has a sample "interview sheet" that readers may find helpful. 

Choosing a dentist for Miles was a little simpler, because our pediatrician recommended the pediatric dental practice to which she takes her kids. We met with them, liked them right off the bat, and joined their practice as a new patient.

Tracy Evans: We listened to other parents. The pediatrician was a glowing recommendation from my neighbor, a mom with two little boys. The allergist was named a superhero by a mom from work. We are more than satisfied with the quality of care and providers we have helping us raise a healthy creature.  

However, now that we have made our choices, I actually used the Babycenter sample “interview sheet” mentioned above by Kat, (I think this is a great resource.) to rate our providers. And they still make the grade.

I must admit, I appreciate providers who allow me to finish my thoughts and my sentences, to voice my concerns and questions, and who take the time to listen and then reply without rushing us out (or making me feel like we are wasting their time).

Another thing that is important to us is how helpful and responsive the staff and nurses are on the phone and in-person. I think we spend more time interacting with them than we do with the doctors. Kindness goes a long way in my book.  

Lastly, I wanted to share two resources I think are current to this topic and important to know and do:

• How to organize medical records
• Your child’s health book