Pediatricians

jenashawn

Has anyone started looking for pediatricians yet? I'm not sure when I should go ahead and set up a prenatal appointment with some to check them out. 

gamommyx3

I don't have an answer but I'm intending to stalk this thread  STMs, how did you go about this process?  TB told me this week (19) that it's time to start looking...

kbrands7

In many areas, pediatricians are more or less always accepting patients (because they're always losing them too, once they get too old). If you're interested in a small practice, or live in an area with few practices/competitive practices, it's probably best to start early just in case they actually get full case loads. When we chose a pediatrician, we just called different practices, looked at the websites, and asked friends/family for recommendations. Some offices offer tours or open-house type sessions, though we never did that. I was already familiar with the physical layouts of the ones I was interested in because they hadn't changed significantly since I was a teenager.

Some of the questions I asked were: 

Are newborns given priority appointment times (such as early in the morning before most sick patients are coming in)? 

What are your antibiotic views (no over-prescribing, or under-prescribing)? 

What is the practice's vaccine schedule (we wanted the typical CDC schedule)? 

What is the availability of the doctors/appointments/triage advice during office hours or on-call hours? 

What is the affiliate hospital/lab? 

Which insurances do you accept? 

Do you offer any parenting classes/resources?

Do you have an affiliation with a lactation consultant? (Sometimes OBs or the hospital offer this instead.)

Do you have separate areas for well visits/sick visits, at least in the waiting room?

Do you offer drop-in hours on any days/at any locations (if multiple offices)?

We also assessed driving distance from our house and from our child's likely future school.

emma+karen

We asked around for recommendations from friends and neighbors.  I also asked my OB who she recommended.  Then we called around and set up some appointments to meet with a couple doctors, and settled on one we liked.  I believe we settled on a pediatrician early in the 3rd trimester.

Bluejay3030

For my daughter, we asked my OB for a list of recommendations and then narrowed down the list from there based on some of the things @kbrands7 mentioned. Rationale behind asking the OB first was that we figured that the OB would only recommend pediatricians that followed similar health practices as they did, and we were very likely to be comfortable with their recommendations for that reason.

Eta: We also settled on a pediatrician late in the 3rd trimester so we could fill out new patient paperwork, etc.

jenashawn

Thanks ladies! I'm 18 weeks, so I feel like it's still pretty early, but wanted to get a jump start just in case. Do you know how far along people typically wait to do those prenatal interview appointments with pediatricians?

Bluejay3030

@jenbkc I didn't bother doing an interview since their website told me everything I needed to know, and I figured if I ended up hating them I could just switch after baby was born. But my friends who did interviews set them up around mid-third trimester I think.

jenashawn

Thank you!

amscape

I called & talked to the practice we plan to use. I already know a lot about them so it was straightforward. They said to call back in May- easy enough!

Kurrant

Wow this all sounds so complicated. Here in NZ you can take your kiddo to most GPs and it seems a very good chunk of them don't charge for any basic visits for children under 13. We *might* be moving to the USA within 5 years so it'd nice to know the process I should go through to look for someone should the need arise.

How long do you generally take a child to a pediatrician in the USA? At what age do they need to see a regular GP?

Knottie70010763

Luckily my main physician is also part of a peds office. So I already know who I will be having my baby to see. Plus he is who my younger brother and sister saw when they were still adolescents. That's one thing I can check off my list... still 

LondonToSavannah

Bluejay3030 said:

@jenbkc I didn't bother doing an interview since their website told me everything I needed to know, and I figured if I ended up hating them I could just switch after baby was born. But my friends who did interviews set them up around mid-third trimester I think.

This. And I got a list from my OB...love our Pediatrician! We didn't interview or anything, just signed on to be a patient.

finnybooboo

We went with recommendations from family and friends. We chose the same pediatrician as my nephews, as my sister didn't have any issues with them. We didn't go on a tour, but I trusted people's opinions. I'm really happy with our choice - they are open from 8-8 M-TH, and 8-5 on F, AND have weekend hours for sick appts. Anytime I have called, I have ALWAYS gotten an appointment the same day. They also have an after hours hotline that has been helpful a few times too, especially when she was young and we were really nervous parents.

I have some friends who chose peds with less desirable hours for working parents (like 8-5 every day), and who don't have weekend hours. It's more of a headache for them, and they've been thinking about changing practices. That's definitely something to think about!

One caveat I guess is that we have typically seen mostly PA's throughout our time. I'm sure I could have requested one of the doctors, but it didn't really matter to me. They've all been great.

jessiedee13

I never did interviews. I babysat for a couple that went to one dr and they loved him so we decided on there. Called to confirm they were accepting new patients and told them my due date and such and was informed to call when the baby was born to set up an initial appt. I went to the appt and he was crazy. He looked crazy. He talked crazy. He was rude. My 1 week old was terrified of him. So I called around for other doctors. Settled on one that was just starting out in our area. He is amazing and I'll never leave that practice. I feel like I should have done interviews to avoid that whole mess, but I was honestly so sick I still would have been like, yep let's stick with this one, he's awesome. That's why I never did the interviews. But if you live in a larger area (I have about 4 options, 3 that were accepting patients within 20 mins of my house...the rest are an hour + drive away) I would interview as many as possible to see who you really connect with. Asking your ob and even your family doctor is a great help. My family doc recommended my current pediatrician to me when I told her about my problems with the first one. (I mean he literally told me "well you need to use store brand formula because similac is too expensive for you") any and all doctors should give you honest opinions and suggestions. I never thought to ask my ob for recommendations, that's a great idea!

doozer1345

I started interviewing at 8 mos. I made an appt and had some questions lined up. The interviews were from 30min to an hour.

AdorkablePixie

There is so much to think about! I haven't even thought about when to start searching for a pediatrician. A daycare though, that's going to be tough!

camillaandcarson

I asked for recommendations through La Leche League.  I interviewed several while pregnant to make my decision.

araecasey

^^I investigated through La Leche League as well since it's really important to me to find a ped who is knowledgeable and supportive of breastfeeding. I was surprised that most peds know very little about breastfeeding and how to support a nursing relationship. I started interviewing peds at 8 months in, and so many bonus points if you can find a ped with an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who works in the ped office!!!

JennyS86

I chose a small practice (3 mds), because I liked the idea of them knowing us.  I heard great things about the head of the practice, but when we had appointments with him, he had a resident do the exam.  Having preemie twins, I was anxious, but I also expected top-notch care. So, I almost left the practice, but I decided to just request one of the other 2 practitioners.  This has worked out great.  We also see the same nurse almost every time.  She has helped me via phone several times, and I don't have to tell her the twins' health history every time we speak.

The above posters listed great questions!  Just to add, ask if they routinely have medical students or residents in the office.  Also, if it is important to you, ask if one of the pediatricians will be visiting the hospital to assess your newborn.

evalynn24

My older brother, myself, and my younger sister all went to the same pediatrician. My nephew now goes to him as well. He is a little older, but as long as he is still in practice when this little one comes along, he will be the pediatrician.

@Kurrant unless this is just a thing for my area of the US, we generally go to a pediatrician until we are 18.

emma+karen

How long do you generally take a child to a pediatrician in the USA? At what age do they need to see a regular GP?

I think it can vary by practice, but I know our pediatrician will see patients up to age 26 (as long as they are allowed to stay on parents' insurance).

Bltbear82

My OB gave us a list of pediatricians they recommended and noted the ones who also had rights at the hospital we were delivering at. We had a group interview/info session around 7-8 months. It was really important to me to be able to walk to the doctor in less than 20 min, and also that they had rights at the hospital we would be at since they're known for being accredited by the WHO as "baby-friendly" and have a great support system for breastfeeding, so I knew our doctor would have a similar mindset. I've been really happy with our experience and they were great when they came to check on DS in the hospital.

lbachran

I'm 20 weeks currently and we have interviews with 4 setup over the next 2 weeks. It may be a bit early, but we live in a major city with many options, so I don't want to settle just because we ran out of time. Really appreciate all those who included questions to ask as I'm currently making my list!

kitandcat

I think it depends on your situation... how comfortable you are with your area, how many people you know who can give suggestions, how many options you have, etc. We moved to Columbus OH last year with no friends or family in the state. I am 20 weeks and starting now. My husband and I picked an OBGYN that was close and had good reviews online and my husband HATES the office because everything looks a million years old and it's just not an environment we're that comfortable with. So we will be visiting several places. The book "Eat. Sleep. Poop." is AMAZING with questions and information to know when picking a pediatrician.... 

Are their hours flexible - do they make late night/weekend appointments?
Do they have a separate waiting area for sick vs. well visits?
Is the waiting room small - you could be sitting in there for awhile with your sick kid, it would be awful to be in a cramped place.
What are the personalities of the doctors? The nurses? The receptionist?
Does the doctor(s) respond to patients via email?
How long are patients normally waiting to be seen? When they're admitted to a room, how long are they then waiting for the doctor? (I thought this was an interesting question to ask - but the book makes a great point that punctuality is super important so be forward and ask about it!)
Is the office old, new, modern, etc? 
Do they have a good website and technologically advanced systems in the office?
How soon can you be seen for a last minute sick appointment?
How does the on-call process work? Are the doctors/nurses on call? "Eat Sleep Poop" describes that studies show that when a nurse-triage company (A third party company) handles on-call questions, there are more families sent to the ER than if the doctor/nurses from the actual office are taking the calls. 
What is the parking like? I don't want to be walking a few blocks in bad weather with my baby - especially when he's sick!
Are the doctors board certified? Where did they go to school? 
Are the doctors young or old? Younger doctors tend to be more in-the-know, but older doctors of course have more experience. Also, if you'd like your child to have the same doctor until they're 18-21, an older doctor might not be still working in the office later on. 
Does the office work where you see one doctor all the time, or do you see a different doctor every time? 

Seriously... Eat Sleep Poop is AWESOME and filled with so many great things to know!! There is probably so much more covered than what I've included here!