Finding a Pediatrician for Your Newborn
Congratulations, you're pregnant. As the count-down to the birth
of your new child approaches, you should consider finding a
pediatrician who will work the best with your soon to be
expanding family. Having a pediatrician on-hand though the
formative weeks and years of your child's life is in the best
interests of both you and your child. Waiting until your child
gets sick or needs a check-up is absolutely not the time to be
going through the selection process, which can be stressful even
when everything is going according to plan.
Beginning Your Search
There are several sources you can tap into to locate qualified
pediatricians in your community. - A good place to start is
the "American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)". A pediatrician who is
certified by them will have will have graduated from four years
of medical school, received three years of resident training,
and passed their written examination. They provide pediatrician
search service on-line.
- Another source is the "American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)".
They also provide a referral database of participating members.
- Certain health plans require you to choose a pediatrician from
their approved network.
- You can also ask is your obstetrician. Obstetricians and
pediatricians often interact to oversee the care of both mother
and baby.
- Ask other moms in your neighborhood including friends, family
or co-workers. They may be able to relate their personal
experiences about specific individuals.
Vetting the Field
You'll want to find a doctor who fits with your goals and
expectations. It's usually best to first meet the candidates to
assess their qualifications, personality, approach and
experience before arriving at a decision. The kinds of questions
you might consider asking your prospective pediatrician and
other considerations include: - What type of pediatric
qualifications do they have? Are they certified by the ABP
and/or a member of the AAP?
- If you are aware of certain health concerns in your family or
with your pregnancy, you may want to ask about qualifications in
pediatric subspecialty areas?
- How can they be contacted after hours or during an emergency?
Are they available by phone? Who covers for them when they are
not available?
- If you have minor questions what is the best time and method
to reach them?
- Does the pediatrician talk with and care about the children,
and not just the parents?
- Does the pediatrician seem to know about current issues and
advances in pediatric medicine?
- Does the pediatrician have "chemistry" with the children as
well as the parents?
- Does the pediatrician appear knowledgeable about current
issues and advances in pediatric medicine?
In addition, you'll probably want to know about availability and
cost of services. Areas of investigation include: - Office
and Location - What are the office hours? What hospital is
he/she affiliated with? Is the location conveniently close to
your residence or work place?
- Costs and insurance coverage - What are the costs of services?
Do they work with your insurance plan? What services are covered
and which ones are not? What are the co-pays and other billing
practices?
- What are the routine child-care check-ups? The AAP recommends
checkups at one, two, four, six, nine, twelve, fifteen, and
twenty-four months.
Finding the right pediatrician for your family can be a daunting
challenge. However, there are several good sources that can help
you in your quest. In most cases you'll have a choice about your
child's doctor so try to find a doctor who is just right for
you. Evaluate you'll health care provider based on the criteria
that are most important to you and your family.