What do you know about your family doctor? What do you wish you knew? To find out more about the person you entrust with your family’s health, head online to checkMD.com. This newly launched Web site includes a database with information on more than 700,000 physicians, recommendations from other parents and articles and blogs about health issues.
“When people move into a new city or their health plan changes, those are the times when you have to go out looking for a new doctor. Finding a pediatrician is particularly important,” says Jon Black, CEO of checkMD."To choose a doctor without any information is putting yourself at risk. So do your research so that when you go into a health care situation, you go in with trust.”
CheckMD is the only Web site where you can check a doctor’s disciplinary history and citations free of charge, Black says.
But while you can check for any negative blemishes on your doctor’s work history, for the most part the Web site is intended to be a positive tool, Black says. Doctors can create their own interactive Web page on the site and can use this to communicate with patients.
The site also includes a mothers forum, where moms can talk to other moms about different health and parenting situations. New articles on health care will be posted on the site daily and users can sign up for free newsletters targeted to their specific needs, such as children’s or women’s health.
Using checkMD before visiting a doctor’s office can give parents the confidence to go into a health care situation and know what they need, Black says.
“A lot of times you’re rushed and checkMD can help you to be informed, to say,‘No, I’m not finished. I need more information and I need you to stay here,'” Black says."Sometimes just being confident and a little more educated and informed makes all the difference in the world.”
