Choosing your family practitioner in San Diego doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You want to choose a physician that will be the perfect fit for you, right? But how do you know what to consider when you are comparing family doctors?
We are here to share your complete guide to family medicine in San Diego! Read on to learn more.
In-Network Insurance Coverage
The first step to take is to find out what offices are in-network covered by your insurance. It is typically recommended for you to call your insurance company for this list. Sometimes, you can find a list online at your insurance company’s website.
As a last resort, call the family practices that you are considering to see if they take your insurance. Here’s an example of the insurance providers we work with.
Availability, Location, and Hours
When we speak of availability when searching for a family doctor, we need to know if the physician we are considering is accepting new patients. You can find this out by calling our office.
Is the location easily accessible to you when you need them? In this day and age when we are all very busy, driving less time to your San Diego doctor’s office can help with that, too.
Another consideration is finding out what the office hours are. Are they strictly open during regular office hours, or do they also offer evening appointments? When closed, do they have on-call physicians who can help you after hours?
Do they offer telemedicine? It is important to find what fits your family’s needs best when considering this.
Services and Specialties for Family Medicine
This is especially important to consider because ideally, you will want to choose a practitioner that can give you the most holistic, well-rounded healthcare possible.
There are a few types of Primary Care Physicians to choose from. Here’s an example of a few types:
Family practices are general practitioners who treat pretty much any age and a wide variety of conditions.
General practice physicians are a lot like family practices but you will sometimes see a specialty added in as well like Osteopathy.
Internal Medicine consists of physicians that specialize in treating and preventing chronic conditions. They typically only treat adults.
This saves time, effort, and can keep you compliant when any health concerns arise.
Services to consider for your unique experience:
- Infant to elderly care
- Family planning
- Labs and imaging
- Hospital affiliation; Is it a hospital you like
- Western Medicine
- Naturopathic Medicine
- Homeopathic Medicine
- Chiropractic Treatment
- Holistic Treatment
- Acupuncture
- IV therapy
- Weight Loss/ Diet management
- Massage Therapy
- Counseling
While granted, some offices offer only a fraction of this and some offer all of this, it is important to consider what will work best for your family’s health.
Do you want a more western medicine approach for your care? Or do you want a more holistic approach? Would you prefer a practitioner that bridges the gap between both?
You can usually find more information about the focus of a healthcare practice by looking at their webpage under the Medical services and About us tabs.
Reviews and Accreditation
Have you ever chosen something pretty important because it looked amazing at first glance, only to find out the experience was less than satisfying?
That’s why it is very important to research what other patients have experienced with the physician that you are considering. It is not always about kindness when considering the San Diego family medicine group that you will work with, sometimes it also comes down to patient safety as well.
When you look at reviews, here are some things to consider about your prospective physician:
- Do they listen to patients?
- Is their focus prevention or treatment?
- What is their bedside manner?
- What is their education?
- Do they educate their patients?
- Do they answer questions?
- Are they empathetic?
- Are there red flags such as incorrect diagnoses or lack of empathy?
- How is patient retention?
You should consider each review that you come across as an important part of your decision process. You can find reviews in a couple of ways.
You can google the name of the practice and the word “Reviews”. For example, “The Center for Health and Well Being reviews” would be a great way to research.
You can also find them on social media and check out their reviews tab there.
Accreditation is especially important when it comes to choosing your family physician. It is important for anyone treating you to have an acceptable amount of education.
You can search The Medical Board of California to verify license status and also to see if there has been disciplinary action with the doctors that you are considering.
Ask for Referrals
One way to find your next family doctor is to ask friends and family if they have experience with one that they would recommend. Word of mouth is sometimes the best way to find what you are looking for.
Remember to ask your friend or family member about the things we discussed earlier that you consider being most important as far as services and patient experience.
Visit
One of the best ways to find out if a Family Physician will be a good fit for you is to visit the office. Do your research first, and then make an appointment.
During your appointment, consider how the office feels to you. Remember this is your personal experience.
How does the staff treat you? What does their focus appear to be? Is the office clean?
Are your medical needs met? How long is your wait? Is the physician attentive?
Family Medicine in San Diego
We hope that you have found this information helpful. Remember that this experience is a very important personal one for you and that research is an amazing way to secure optimum health for you and your family.
We are San Diego’s premier integrative medical practice!
If you are looking for a family medicine physician and would like to make an appointment with one of our Family physicians, please contact us by calling (619)814-5500 or by clicking this link.