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Patient Choice encourages individuals to be active, informed health care
consumers. Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about
your health care providers and facilities:
Best Practice Guidelines -
The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), a collaboration of
Minnesota-based health care organizations and providers, is
focused on helping providers identify and incorporate best clinical
practices for their patients. To help inform individuals, the organization
has developed consumer-friendly versions of the guidelines.
Board Certification - Verify the board
certification of a physician through The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS),
an organization of 24 approved medical specialty boards. Note: First time users
will need to register to use the site.
HowWasYourCare -
Use this online patient satisfaction survey to rate the care and service your doctor provides and to see how other patients rated their doctors. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and allows you to rate how easy it is to schedule urgent appointments, how friendly you think your doctor’s office staff is, whether your physician spends an appropriate amount of time with you, and other aspects of your doctor’s care and service.
Choosing a Doctor -
This information is provided by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Nation's lead Federal agency for research on health care quality, costs, outcomes, and patient safety. The document offers valuable tips on choosing a doctor to best meet your needs.
Educational Background -
Use the "find a provider" feature on the Minnesota Medical Association's
Web site to learn where your physician attended medical school and the
year graduated.
Licensing/Sanction Information - View
the licensing background and disciplinary information of physicians and other
health care practitioners using the Administrators in Medicine's (AIM) DocFinder feature.
Recognized Physician Directory -
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has established a diabetes program and a heart/stroke
program to identify physicians that meet care standards established for each program. On the site,
individuals can locate physicians who have been "recognized" for performing well in these programs.
Talking With Your Doctor -
Available on the American Cancer Society Web site, these tips help patients understand the importance of a healthy doctor-patient relationship and offer questions patients can ask their doctors. While written for cancer patients, the information contains useful tips for all patients.
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