How To Break Up With Your Doctor and Find a New One

Your doctor’s job, no matter their specialty, is to take care of you to the best of their ability and help meet your medical needs. However, there are times when even the greatest doctors aren’t suited to a particular patient. That doesn’t mean you have to spend countless hours wasting your time with a practitioner who isn’t getting the job done. To help you get the best medical care, read on to learn how to break up with your doctor and find a new one.

Signs Its Time To Find a New Doctor

There are plenty of reasons to find a new doctor, such as a personal relocation, insurance change, or just a general change in your healthcare needs. However, there are some subtler signs you need to look out for. 

If your doctor has a poor bedside manner, is constantly interrupting you, ignoring you, or isn’t keeping up with medical advancements, it’s probably time to move on. However, when it comes to women, if you feel like your doctor isn’t taking your pain seriously, this is a huge red flag, especially if they’re a male doctor. This is one of the most common reasons why women prefer to get treated by female doctors. While any practitioner ignoring your pain is a problem, male practitioners often chalk up female pain to menstrual or hormonal issues, leaving serious problems that aren’t menstruation-related vulnerable to worsening.

How To Break Up With Your Current Doctor

The best way to break up with your doctor so you can start finding a new one is to schedule a final appointment. This way, you can stay updated and informed on your medical status and have all the relevant information you need. You’ll want a record of bloodwork and other test results, pending diagnoses, and recommended treatments so you can start on the right foot with your next doctor. And, in truth, you don’t even have to tell the doctor directly that you’re moving on to find a new practitioner. All you must do is speak with the front desk, typically the people who handle the scheduling, and tell them that you won’t be returning.

If you want to speak with your doctor directly, remember to keep things professional, avoid letting emotions cloud your judgment, and discuss your reasons for leaving. In doing so, you can be helping other future patients, but if you’re uncomfortable speaking directly to them, you can send an email or letter discussing these reasons.

How To Find a New Doctor

The most important thing you need to do when looking for a new doctor is to ask questions. Look into their specialty, education, and experience, and get to know them on a professional level. This may include booking appointments with multiple doctors to get a feel for who they are, how they treat you, and what they do. Interview appointments are very common, and you can even check your doctor’s license status or standing with your state’s licensing agency. And often, the best way to find a new doctor is to look at reviews and ask loved ones for referrals, as they’ll be your most open and honest source.