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Congratulations, you are 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 a relationship 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.
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