North Texas Pediatricians: Tips on Choosing the Best for Your Family

Whether or not your family is covered by a discount health care plan or insurance plan with a list of children’s physicians, it makes sense to do your homework and search in detail among the hundreds of pediatricians in the Metroplex to find just the right fit for your family.  American Health Benefits in DFW is not an insurance company, so its members are free to choose among thousands of participating providers of medical, prescription, dental, and hospital care.  These providers, along with American Health Benefits, have a common goal to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible to Dallas-Ft. Worth families – and that includes a top-notch pediatrician for your children.

Babycenter.com polled over 10,000 parents and parents-to-be nationwide on how they chose their pediatrician, and these were the results:

•     25% picked someone from their health benefits program or insurance plan's approved   list
•     39% got a recommendation from friends or family
•     22% asked their prenatal care provider for a recommendation
•     2% found one in the Yellow Pages or on the Internet
•    13% already had a pediatrician I liked

(Total votes: 10171)

Although your search primarily begins with a study of the Texas pediatricians who participate in a particular plan such as American Health Benefits or a health insurance provider in Texas, there are a number of criteria to consider as you search for the physician who will play an ever-so-important role in the life of your baby, seeing him through immunizations, fevers, and earaches; and for your older child’s physicals throughout his school years.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Recommendations from friends, family, or co-workers are valuable, particularly when they share their experiences regarding a doctor’s bedside manner.  Does the pediatrician spend time talking with just the child, and not just the parents? Does he or she seem to truly enjoy working with children?  Does he or she listen fully to all of the parent’s questions or concerns?

Check with other medical professionals for referrals. Hospital nurses are a good source of information; and if you are an expectant parent, your obstetrician.  These professionals interact with their peers regularly, and can lend insight as to a pediatrician’s medical skills, communication style, and level of availability.

If you are expecting and time is still on your side before you deliver, you will be able to interview a few different pediatricians before selecting one who will best suit you and your baby.  Call their office and ask to schedule a prenatal interview with the pediatrician.  These requests are common, and the visit itself should only take 15 or 20 minutes.  You’ll want to verify with the particular physician’s offices, but typically there is no charge for prenatal visits. Write your questions down ahead of time so as not to forget to ask about the issues that are most important to you, such as how emergencies are handled, and if there are evening or weekend office hours.

Once at the pediatrician’s office, learn what you can by watching and talking to other parents, as well as the office staff, of course.  Ask how long other parents usually wait to seen by the doctor, how do they like the nurses, and how comfortable are their children with the doctor and staff?  Additionally, look closely at the cleanliness of the office, the condition and age of their equipment, and amenities such as parent and child educational materials in the waiting room.

Diplomas in the examining room of the pediatrician’s office are nice to see, but it’s important to ensure that a physician is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics or the American Board of Family Practice. To check on a physician's certification, parents can call the American Board of Medical Specialties at (800) 776-2378 or check the website at http://www.certifieddoctor.org.

After making the all-important decision of the health care provider for your precious children, consider next the most cost-effective way to pay for their care.  American Health Benefits looks forward to serving you with superb customer service, and savings that will keep more money in your wallet for all of the other necessities that accompany having children.