- DocInfo. The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) offers this tool to help patients research their doctors. You can use it to search by doctor name and state to find certifications, education, active licenses, and any potential disciplinary actions.
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). This organization measures the effectiveness of doctors and specialists, allowing you to search the NCQA report cards to find doctors who have been evaluated by the NCQA.
- Physician Compare (for Medicare-eligible patients only). Offered by Medicare to help patients find health care providers, this website lets you filter results by distance, gender, board certification, solo practitioners or part of a group, and by providers who accept Medicare patients.
Interviewing doctors and surgeons
- What’s your approach to treating my condition or illness?
- How much experience do you have?
- How many patients like me do you see every year?
- For surgeons: How many of these surgeries do you perform?
- Are you board certified, and in what specialty?