Find the Best Doctor in Your Community for Your Child
Choosing a doctor for your baby is one of the many important decisions you’ll make as a parent. We recommend selecting a pediatrician for your baby while you’re still pregnant. Your baby will have their first visit with a pediatrician while still in the hospital and several visits within their first year of life.
What to Look for in a Pediatrician
You want to find a pediatrician you feel comfortable with to care for your child from infancy through their teenage years. But what should you be considering when looking for the right provider? Here are some questions you can ask when choosing a pediatrician:
- Are they connected to a hospital network with other pediatric specialists, if needed?
- Are they covered by my insurance or managed care plan?
- How does the office handle billing and insurance claims? Is payment due at the time of the visit?
- If my child has special medical needs, what is the pediatrician’s experience and philosophy caring for children with special needs? Can their practice provide the support I need to coordinate medical care for my child?
- Is emergency coverage available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Is the pediatrician accepting new patients?
- Is the pediatrician available by phone or email? If so, when?
- Is the pediatrician close to home or daycare?
- What are the office hours, and do they work with our schedule?
- Whom do I call when the office is closed?
How Can I Find the Right Pediatrician for My Child?
Now that you have a list of questions to ask, you can start asking around for recommendations. Ask your friends and family members whom they’d recommend. Those closest to you likely share similar beliefs and preferences, so you might like the same pediatrician they do.
You can also ask your OBGYN or primary care provider whom they’d recommend. Our maternity nurse navigator or physician referral service nurses are another great resource to help you find a pediatrician on our medical staff who meets your specific needs.