How to Choose Family Physicians
A family physician has the ability to care for all members of your family, both young and old. This makes them the ideal candidate for families looking for the convenience of a single doctor to both provide preventative treatments as well as general treatments options for common problems and ailments.
- Ask the other parents in your life to see if they use a family doctor for their families health care needs. A personal reference is a great way to find a family doctor that you can trust. It is also a good idea to ask family for a reference to a family physician that has seen other units in your family.
- Look up family physicians in your area by looking in your phone book under "Physicians." There will be a separate listing for each type of doctor; you should look under the section that says family practice or family physicians.
- Use your preferred search engine to perform a search using the keywords "family practice," or "family doctors," along with the name of the city and state in which you would like the doctor to be located.
- Write down the names, addresses and phone numbers of all of the family doctors in your area on a separate sheet of paper leaving in room for you to make notes under each listing.
- Call your medical insurance company to see if they can provide you with a referral to family practitioners that accept your insurance. Take down the names and numbers of the doctors that they provide you with.
- Call each family practice individually to determine if they meet the needs of you and your family. Ask them if they accept your insurance, the ages of the patients that they treat as well as their qualifications and office hours to see if they meet your specifications.