Choosing The Doctor Your Family Needs
Blue Cross Of California HMO

If you have just enrolled in the Blue Cross of California HMO, you are looking at the list of doctors in the network and wondering, “which one should I choose?” Finding a doctor that you like and trust is an important part of good health care. Trusting your doctor is a big part of your health care. Blue Cross of California HMO program has many doctors to choose from, how do you be sure you are choosing the right one for your family?

Blue Cross of California HMO will give you a list of primary care doctors. Within this list is your future doctor. Your primary care doctor will be responsible for managing your health care, helping you make medical decisions, and will refer you to other specialists if it is necessary. Blue Cross of California HMO and other plans often will not pay for a specialist unless you have a referral from your primary care doctor.

Important questions need to be asked before you decide on the doctor that will best fit you and the needs of your family. Since you will be limited to the doctors that are on Blue Cross of California HMO lists, you will want to ask friends and family for referrals. You will need to find out if they are taking new patients and then begin researching your chosen doctor.

Talk to other patients who are being treated by the doctor you are researching. Are they satisfied and happy with the care they are receiving? Look up information at your local library. You may look in the Directory of Medical Specialists to find basic information about the doctor. This handy book has up-to-date professional information on nearly 400,000 doctors practicing in the United States.

You may also want to use the “AMA Physician Select,” which is a free service on the Internet. The information is updated by the American Medical Association and is a free service to help you find information about any doctor.

Another question you may want to ask is if the doctor is board certified. All doctors are required to have a license and some also are board certified. Board Certification means that he has completed several extra years of training for a specialty and passed an exam for that specialty.

You also want to know if the doctor has had any complaints lodged against him, or if he has had disciplinary actions. You can find the answer to this question by calling your State Medical Licensing Board. Blue Cross of California HMO has a great group of doctors. They would not be on the list if they have had problems with insurance companies.

The last step is to make a trial appointment with the doctor you have chosen. The office may charge you for this “meet and greet” session, but it will be worth it to find out if you are compatible with the doctor you have chosen. Blue Cross of California HMO has many wonderful doctors. On that list you will find the doctor that is best for treating you and your family.