When choosing a qualified dermatologist, you
want to be assured they have the right credentials for the procedure(s)
you want preformed. There are many ways in which you can go
about doing this research. The following are preliminary checks
that will enable you to be prepared and educated prior to your
consultation. These are critical steps that will help you achieve
a successful outcome.
Perhaps you are looking for someone with a good chair-side manner,
a professional office environment, current magazines in the
waiting room, or who is a sharp dresser. To others, training,
reputation and specialties are preferred criteria for selecting
their dermatologist. Some may even look for the most expensive
physician, while others the least expensive. Whatever your criteria,
iEnhance has put together a list of physicians that can give
you a head start on your search for the best dermatologist to
meet your individual needs.
After reviewing this section, you may want to conduct addition
independent research. Speaking to a patient or friend who has
had a similar procedure preformed, or whom their physician impressed,
can help you feel more assured of your own decisions. To some,
training reputation, and word-of-mouth are preferred criteria
for selecting a physician. iEnhance has a feature called "My
Story" you may want to check out. It is a section of personal
experiences from patients that have had dermatological procedures
preformed. We have also provided you with a list of professional
organizations at the end of this page to assist you in verifying
the physicians credentials as well as a "physician locator"
to help guide you to a well-trained physician that can be chosen
by location, name, and experience.
Preliminary checks you should make prior to consultation
scheduling
iEnhance is proud to list physicians on our Web site who meet our selection criteria. Many of our physicians are either board-certified or board-eligible. On our listing, we feature the physician's education, credentials, certifications, medical school, and licensure. The physician may also list his or her membership with medical associations, academies or societies. The links located at the bottom of the page will assist you in verifying the information provided. You may want to use a Physician Credential
Verification company to conduct
the research for you. iEnhance has partnered with www.searchpointe.com
to assist you in this process. SearchPointe will provide you
with a free report that gives you the physician's name, phone
number, address, specialty, education, school and residency
information. You may order a License and Sanction report on
a specific physician for a small fee.
Confirm whether a physician has earned his or her certification
from the American Board of Dermatology by either clicking to
www.abderm.org,
or by calling them direct at 313.874.1088. American Board of
Dermatology certified physicians have graduated from an accredited
medical school and completed at least another 4 years of residency
as a dermatologist. Of these four years, he/she completed one
year of post-graduate work, and at least three of years training
as a dermatologist resident.
Confirm that the physician is either Board Certified, or Board
Eligible. To be board certified, the physician must have passed
comprehensive written and oral examinations given by the American
Board of Dermatology. You can confirm a physician's Board certification
by clicking to www.abms.org
(American Board of Medical Specialties), selecting the "Who's
Certified" button, then typing in the doctor's name. The verification
will tell you which specific Board certified the doctor. Alternatively,
you may call the American Board of Medical Specialties at 847.491.9091.
Selecting a Board Certified physician assures you that a physician
has completed extensive training and passed rigorous training
examinations in his/her specialty. To some, Board Certification
or Board Eligibility is a very important factor when choosing
a physician. Following these steps will help you be very confident
about the physician you choose.
Questions you should ask during your consultation
In addition to the questions you ask the physician, the most
important thing to consider is the communication between you
and the physician. Be sure that you are comfortable with the
physician and that all your questions are being answered. A
give-and-take dialogue can ensure that you and the physician
have the same vision of what you want the end result to be,
and that your expectations are realistic. We highly encourage
you to read the procedure descriptions and become familiar with
the questions to ask your physician. With the questions provided
in the procedure descriptions and the information here, you
should get a fairly comprehensive picture of the physicians
working style and credentials.
These questions are to be used as a framework to get to know
the physician and to feel more comfortable with his working
style. Familiarize yourself with the procedure description that
you are interested in and add your specific questions to this
list. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and information
you need to ask intelligent well directed questions during your
consultation.
How long have you been in practice?
Where did you attend medical school?
Why did you choose this particular specialty?
What is your favorite part about being a physician?
What procedure do you enjoy doing the most?
What Hospital(s) do you admit to? Which one do you prefer
the most?
Do you have any statistical information on your outcomes
and success ratios?
How many of the particular procedure have you preformed?
How long have you practiced in this City/State?
What other places have you practiced?
Links to professional organizations:
http://www.lcme.org
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education. This organization
accredits medical schools in the US and Canada. Click on "Directory
of Accredited Medical Education Programs" to verify the accreditation
of your doctor's medical school.
http://www.abms.org
- American Board of Medical Specialties. ABMS is the umbrella
organization for the 24 approved medical specialty boards in
the United States. From the homepage, select the "Who's Certified"
button, and then type the physician's name. The verification
will tell you which specific Board certified the physician.
http://www.abderm.org
- American Board of Dermatology. This organization is one of
the approved medical specialty boards that make up the American
Board of Medical Specialties. This is the board that certifies
dermatologists. You may call to verify a doctor's board certification
status at 313.874.1088.
http://www.searchpointe.com
- A Physician Credential Verification company. From the home
page, click on "Doctor Search", enter the search parameters
and click "Search Now". Within a few seconds, SearchPointe will
provide a free report that gives you the doctor's name, phone
number, address, specialty, education, school and residency
information. Then for a small fee, you can order a License and
Sanction report on that doctor.
Other relevant links:
http://www.aad.org
- American Academy for Dermatology Surgery. Over 12,000 dermatologists
worldwide are members of this professional organization.
http://www.asds-net.org
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. Over 2,400 dermatologists
are members of this organization.
