2 

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 

Choosing a Doctor

Mrs. Wiley had a big surprise the other

day when she called her doctor to make

an appointment. The receptionist told

her that Dr. Horowitz was retiring at

the end of the year. After all this time —

after decades of flu, bladder infections,

and that nasty broken wrist; after

helping her through the menopause —

now this desertion! Mrs. Wiley didn’t

know what she would do to try and

find a new doctor.

Uncle Willy was grumbling to his

nephew Matt. This new managed health

insurance plan seemed like a good idea

at first, but now he wasn’t so sure.

What’s a primary care doctor anyway?

Can’t he just continue to see Dr. Bissell

for his arthritis? Matt sighed wondering

how he was going to help Uncle Willy

find a whole new set of doctors.

Stories like these are

becoming all too

common. Finding

good medical

care can be

tricky at

any age but for older people this task

may be even tougher. Yet, it is important to have a primary care doctor

who knows you and all of your health

problems. Even if you see other doctors for certain health conditions,

for example, a heart specialist

(cardiologist) for heart disease,

your primary care doctor is needed

to work with those specialists and

coordinate all of your health care.

Choosing a doctor is one of the

most important decisions anyone

can make. The best time to make

that decision is while you are still

healthy and have time to really think

about all your choices. If you have no

doctor or are thinking of changing

doctors, the following ideas may help

you find a doctor who is right for you.

What Should You Look for

in a Doctor?

Of course you want a doctor who

is well trained and competent. A

doctor who knows you well may

be better able to help you prevent

some health problems and manage

those that do come up. In choosing

a doctor some other things to think

about are:

✦ Board certification. Board certified doctors have extra training

after medical school to become

specialists in a field of medicine
2 

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 

Choosing a Doctor

Mrs. Wiley had a big surprise the other

day when she called her doctor to make

an appointment. The receptionist told

her that Dr. Horowitz was retiring at

the end of the year. After all this time —

after decades of flu, bladder infections,

and that nasty broken wrist; after

helping her through the menopause —

now this desertion! Mrs. Wiley didn’t

know what she would do to try and

find a new doctor.

Uncle Willy was grumbling to his

nephew Matt. This new managed health

insurance plan seemed like a good idea

at first, but now he wasn’t so sure.

What’s a primary care doctor anyway?

Can’t he just continue to see Dr. Bissell

for his arthritis? Matt sighed wondering

how he was going to help Uncle Willy

find a whole new set of doctors.

Stories like these are

becoming all too

common. Finding

good medical

care can be

tricky at

any age but for older people this task

may be even tougher. Yet, it is important to have a primary care doctor

who knows you and all of your health

problems. Even if you see other doctors for certain health conditions,

for example, a heart specialist

(cardiologist) for heart disease,

your primary care doctor is needed

to work with those specialists and

coordinate all of your health care.

Choosing a doctor is one of the

most important decisions anyone

can make. The best time to make

that decision is while you are still

healthy and have time to really think

about all your choices. If you have no

doctor or are thinking of changing

doctors, the following ideas may help

you find a doctor who is right for you.

What Should You Look for

in a Doctor?

Of course you want a doctor who

is well trained and competent. A

doctor who knows you well may

be better able to help you prevent

some health problems and manage

those that do come up. In choosing

a doctor some other things to think

about are:

✦ Board certification. Board certified doctors have extra training

after medical school to become

specialists in a field of medicine
2 

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 

Choosing a Doctor

Mrs. Wiley had a big surprise the other

day when she called her doctor to make

an appointment. The receptionist told

her that Dr. Horowitz was retiring at

the end of the year. After all this time —

after decades of flu, bladder infections,

and that nasty broken wrist; after

helping her through the menopause —

now this desertion! Mrs. Wiley didn’t

know what she would do to try and

find a new doctor.

Uncle Willy was grumbling to his

nephew Matt. This new managed health

insurance plan seemed like a good idea

at first, but now he wasn’t so sure.

What’s a primary care doctor anyway?

Can’t he just continue to see Dr. Bissell

for his arthritis? Matt sighed wondering

how he was going to help Uncle Willy

find a whole new set of doctors.

Stories like these are

becoming all too

common. Finding

good medical

care can be

tricky at

any age but for older people this task

may be even tougher. Yet, it is important to have a primary care doctor

who knows you and all of your health

problems. Even if you see other doctors for certain health conditions,

for example, a heart specialist

(cardiologist) for heart disease,

your primary care doctor is needed

to work with those specialists and

coordinate all of your health care.

Choosing a doctor is one of the

most important decisions anyone

can make. The best time to make

that decision is while you are still

healthy and have time to really think

about all your choices. If you have no

doctor or are thinking of changing

doctors, the following ideas may help

you find a doctor who is right for you.

What Should You Look for

in a Doctor?

Of course you want a doctor who

is well trained and competent. A

doctor who knows you well may

be better able to help you prevent

some health problems and manage

those that do come up. In choosing

a doctor some other things to think

about are:

✦ Board certification. Board certified doctors have extra training

after medical school to become

specialists in a field of medicine
7 8 

Finding a New Doctor

Once you have a sense of what you

want in a doctor, ask people you

know about doctors they use and

like. Friends, coworkers, and

other health professionals may

be helpful. You

can make it easy

for them to tell

you about the

doctors they like

by asking questions, such as,

“What do you

like about

Dr. Smith?”

A doctor whose name

comes up often might be a

strong possibility as a choice. It

may help to have several names

to choose from in case the doctor you

select is not taking new patients or

does not take part in your health

insurance plan.

If you belong to a managed care

plan, you can get a list of doctors

from the plan’s membership services

office. Your choices will be limited to

those doctors who are part of the plan.

If you need more help finding

names of doctors, contact your hospital of choice, local medical society,

local physician referral services,

nearby medical schools, or university

medical centers in your area.

How Do You Make an

Informed Choice?

Once you have chosen two or

three doctors, call their offices. The

office staff can give you information

about the doctor’s education and

training. They also can tell you

about office policies, standard

insurance the office takes, payment

methods, and the doctor’s hospital

admitting priviledges.

You may want to make an

appointment just to talk with

a doctor before deciding on a

final choice. Make sure that she

or he knows that you are trying to

decide on a doctor. You likely will

be charged for such a visit; your

insurance company may not pay

for it.

Make a list of questions you want

to ask the doctor. For example:

✦ What age groups make up most

of your practice?

✦ How do you manage patients with

lots of health problems? Do you

usually treat everything, do you

refer patients, or are there some

problems older people just have

to live with?

✦ What do you think are the most

important preventive care issues

for older adults? How do you

manage them?
7 8 

Finding a New Doctor

Once you have a sense of what you

want in a doctor, ask people you

know about doctors they use and

like. Friends, coworkers, and

other health professionals may

be helpful. You

can make it easy

for them to tell

you about the

doctors they like

by asking questions, such as,

“What do you

like about

Dr. Smith?”

A doctor whose name

comes up often might be a

strong possibility as a choice. It

may help to have several names

to choose from in case the doctor you

select is not taking new patients or

does not take part in your health

insurance plan.

If you belong to a managed care

plan, you can get a list of doctors

from the plan’s membership services

office. Your choices will be limited to

those doctors who are part of the plan.

If you need more help finding

names of doctors, contact your hospital of choice, local medical society,

local physician referral services,

nearby medical schools, or university

medical centers in your area.

How Do You Make an

Informed Choice?

Once you have chosen two or

three doctors, call their offices. The

office staff can give you information

about the doctor’s education and

training. They also can tell you

about office policies, standard

insurance the office takes, payment

methods, and the doctor’s hospital

admitting priviledges.

You may want to make an

appointment just to talk with

a doctor before deciding on a

final choice. Make sure that she

or he knows that you are trying to

decide on a doctor. You likely will

be charged for such a visit; your

insurance company may not pay

for it.

Make a list of questions you want

to ask the doctor. For example:

✦ What age groups make up most

of your practice?

✦ How do you manage patients with

lots of health problems? Do you

usually treat everything, do you

refer patients, or are there some

problems older people just have

to live with?

✦ What do you think are the most

important preventive care issues

for older adults? How do you

manage them?
7 8 

Finding a New Doctor

Once you have a sense of what you

want in a doctor, ask people you

know about doctors they use and

like. Friends, coworkers, and

other health professionals may

be helpful. You

can make it easy

for them to tell

you about the

doctors they like

by asking questions, such as,

“What do you

like about

Dr. Smith?”

A doctor whose name

comes up often might be a

strong possibility as a choice. It

may help to have several names

to choose from in case the doctor you

select is not taking new patients or

does not take part in your health

insurance plan.

If you belong to a managed care

plan, you can get a list of doctors

from the plan’s membership services

office. Your choices will be limited to

those doctors who are part of the plan.

If you need more help finding

names of doctors, contact your hospital of choice, local medical society,

local physician referral services,

nearby medical schools, or university

medical centers in your area.

How Do You Make an

Informed Choice?

Once you have chosen two or

three doctors, call their offices. The

office staff can give you information

about the doctor’s education and

training. They also can tell you

about office policies, standard

insurance the office takes, payment

methods, and the doctor’s hospital

admitting priviledges.

You may want to make an

appointment just to talk with

a doctor before deciding on a

final choice. Make sure that she

or he knows that you are trying to

decide on a doctor. You likely will

be charged for such a visit; your

insurance company may not pay

for it.

Make a list of questions you want

to ask the doctor. For example:

✦ What age groups make up most

of your practice?

✦ How do you manage patients with

lots of health problems? Do you

usually treat everything, do you

refer patients, or are there some

problems older people just have

to live with?

✦ What do you think are the most

important preventive care issues

for older adults? How do you

manage them?