How Colorado Patients Can Evaluate Physicians – newsletter 7-8-24

If you or your loved one has a long-time physician who is retiring, how can you best go about identifying a replacement? Or if you have been told you need the services of a separate physician specialist, how do you determine who will be the best choice? Any time you need to establish a new doctor-patient relationship, how can you efficiently evaluate the expertise and reputation of a new doctor you need? Advocates for patients-as-consumers suggest the following things you can do:

• The simplest first step, if not already done, is to ask your primary care doctor for recommendations and their reasons for such endorsements. Example: Do they know how much experience a recommended doctor has in whatever intervention the doctor will be doing for you.
• See if a doctor you’re considering is board certified in the medical specialty affecting you. Board-certified physicians have advanced training, have passed rigorous testing, and participate in continuing medical education. You can check the most recognized boards at the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which certifies physicians in 40 specialties. Visit abms.org and click on the “For Patients” link, where you can search by the physician’s name.
• Look into any reports of malpractice by a physician and whether the Colorado medical licensing board has taken any action against a physician (https://dpo.colorado.gov/Medical). You could also check county or local court records for any malpractice suits that have been filed. Most often, doctors are found not guilty in such suits and may thus have had no formal discipline. But numerous suits against a single doctor can be a red flag.