Tips for choosing a pediatrician

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By Dr. David J. Carlson

Choosing a pediatrician will be one of the first decisions you make as a parent that will affect your child’s care. You can initially narrow down your choices by getting recommendations from your Ob/Gyn, or from friends and relatives. But when you’re left with your last several choices, how do you decide? Here are some additional questions you can ask to decide which pediatrician will make you feel most comfortable:

Is the physician board certified?

You can verify pediatrician certification through the American Board of Pediatrics (www.abp.org). Most pediatricians will be either board-certified or board eligible, meaning they have completed training requirements, but have not passed the certification test yet.

What insurance plans do you take?

You will want to verify that the pediatrician takes your insurance. Also, if you are anticipating a potential change in your insurance coverage, it will be important to make sure they take your new insurance as well.

Is the physician a solo practitioner or part of a group practice?

This is important in order to know who will be available to you if your selected pediatrician is unavailable.

What are the office hours?

Are evening and weekend appointments available? Are those evening and weekend appointments reserved for urgent visits only, or well child and follow-up visits? It is important to know when your child can be seen.

How do you handle urgent issues?

How quickly can my child be seen if he or she is sick? Who will see my child for an urgent appointment? Some offices may have specific providers (another physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) to handle urgent visits rather than your regular pediatrician.

How are phone calls addressed?

Most will utilize a nurse to handle initial telephone concerns. You should also ask how long it typically takes to get a return call if you have to leave a message.

How are calls handled after-hours?

Some offices may provide direct access to a physician in the group. Others may use a nurse answering service to handle initial calls, with more complex issues then transferred to the pediatrician on call.

Do you allow other means of communication?

Some offices may take email questions, or have a patient portal through which you can ask non-urgent questions, request medication refills, and request appointments.

What is your policy on vaccines?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org) strongly endorses universal vaccination. If you have a different opinion on vaccines, it is important to understand the pediatricians’ policy on declining vaccines. While most groups will still be willing to see your child, some may not.

It can be very helpful to have a one-on-one conversation with prospective pediatricians in order to ask these questions. Most pediatricians will be happy to meet you to answer any questions you have. Many pediatrician offices will also have this information available on their website, or it may be provided by their staff.

Dr. David J. Carlson is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. A member of Tri-County Medical Associates, he sees patients at his practice, Hopkinton Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and is on the medical staff at Milford Regional Medical Center.

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