How to Find a New Pediatrician

Family Health, Featured Article, Healthy Living, Power to the Patient
on July 2, 2013

 

These steps from experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics can help you find the best pediatrician for your child.

  • Ask other parents, friends, or co-workers who have kids similar in age to yours for recommendations, suggests Dr. Ashanti W. Woods, a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
  • Use the pediatrician finder tool on HealthyChildren.org, an American Academy of Pediatrics website.
  • Do a complimentary prenatal visit prior to delivery, says Shu.  This may be harder to set up for older babies and children, but you may be able to join a prenatal group visit or tour, or meet with the office staff.
  • Speak up on the first visit.  Ask the pediatrician about issues you feel strongly about to learn if you’ll be willing to follow his recommendations, says Dr. Charles I. Shubin, director of pediatrics at Mercy FamilyCare in Baltimore.