Most people, if they have a good doctor that they like, would be willing to refer you to him or her. Of course, today things are not as simple as they once were and one has to then check to see if the doctor is available to members of your plan, and if he is still accepting new patients. Other good sources of referral are local hospitals, however, they will only refer to doctors on their staff. This may be good though if the hospital is located close to your home and if you ever needed to be hospitalized, you would be close to your family. Your local Medical Association is another excellent source and one that is generally unbiased and objective.
Any licensed physician can practice any type of medicine.
Board certification is conferred primarily by the American Board of Medical Specialties and requires the completion of four to seven years of specialized training after medical school and passing a rather difficult examination. Even general practitioners can be board certified in family practice or internal medicine. There are about 150 boards conferring certification but not all are legitimate. This web site contains extensive information on local physicians, including education, training, positions held in various health facilities, as well as hospital disciplinary actions, state penalties and criminal convictions. An affiliation with an academic center as an instructor or a clinical professor usually indicates that the doctor is knowledgeable of current treatment modalities, well connected and highly respected.