The mother of one of my long-term special needs patient joked, “Dr. Sirven, I’ve been offered my dream job but it’s out of state. I want you and your nurse to adopt my son so that when I move, I don’t have to find him another doctor.”
“I’m honored,” I said. “But I can help you find someone, even out of town.”
“But you’ve been there through it all,” she said. “We’re family!”
After some friendly banter, I said, “I promise to find your son a new doctor in your new city.”
People are moving. A better economy means more folks are no longer stuck in their underwater mortgages and there are new job opportunities. Moving means finding a new doctor. And if you’ve had a long-term relationship with one in you're previous city, the process can be difficult and emotional.
Although there is little published data on switching doctors, surveys on the issue have shown that Americans in general are fairly committed to their physician.
According to one Stanford University study, fewer than 15% of individuals actually switch their physicians. When they do, it's mostly due to changes in insurance plan or moving.
If you’re looking for a new doctor, there are some strategies.
Ask your current doctor or your friends in healthcare for names they’d recommend to their own family. Then use the web to identify which physicians do well on patient satisfaction score cards.
Consider also auditioning a doctor by making at least one appointment to see if you feel comfortable. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t settle.
Like any relationship that matters, these clinical encounters are the ties that bind us and sometimes you really do become like family.
Dr. Sirven is the chairman of neurology at the Mayo Clinic.