It's no secret that finding and maintaining good healthcare is a major concern for consumers in America today. Of course, everyone wants to find the best care possible, at a price they can afford, and it is possible, if you outline several important criteria you want to have met. And the time to develop that outline is before you begin your search for a health care provider for your family and yourself.

Here are the major things you want to know before you choose your healthcare provider:

1) When you are ill, you will want to find out everything that your doctor knows about whatever health issue you may be facing, including what caused the illness in the first place. You will also want to make sure the care your doctor recommends is based on the latest and best medical research. That way, you'll be better able to prevent, delay, or decrease the severity of the illness. Surprisingly, recent reliable surveys show that on average people get only about half of the care they should get, care that is based on the best medical research. You want to beat those odds.

2) You want to find out as much as possible about what's being recommended to treat your illness, including information on the drugs that are being prescribed, their possible side effects, and all alternative treatment options and their pros and cons. You need to understand why the recommended care is best.

3) You want to know that your doctor will always treat you as soon as possible when you encounter a health problem, and at a price you can afford.

4) You want your doctor, and everyone else involved in your treatment, to respect you, your time, and your lifestyle as much as possible. That includes allowing you to partner and consult with them about decisions regarding your care.

5) You want your doctor to work with your healthcare system, and with other professionals who also work within that system, in a well-coordinated fashion.

6) You want whatever money you spend on healthcare to be used wisely and effectively, and only to be used for services that are required to directly and best address whatever health issues you're facing at the moment, and on preventive care proven to be effective.

Unfortunately, there are very few healthcare systems that will meet all of those factors in today's healthcare world. However, that doesn't lessen the importance of every one of those factors when you set out to obtain quality healthcare, at an affordable price, from caring individuals who will treat you with the respect you deserve as a medical services consumer.

But you can increase your chances of finding a healthcare provider who meets as many of those criteria as possible by paying attention to a few areas as you conduct your search:

1) Look for doctors who take the time to answer all of your questions and who make an honest effort to get to the heart of your medical concerns, including staying on top of the latest medical research and how it applies to your care, a very daunting but highly important task.

2) Look for doctors who focus on proven methods of prevention and who treat all medical problems at an early stage.

3) Look for a healthcare system that offers you a chance to choose a personal physician that your investigations have shown to provide high quality care, and that requires out-of-pocket expenses you can afford.

4) Look for convenient access to the place where your healthcare will be provided, including location and hours of operation, and that has friendly, respectful staff.

You can find out about the latest and best medical research and guidelines for care at www.guidelines.gov and www.medlineplus.gov. To learn whether a doctor knows and uses the latest medical research and care guidelines, ask him or her about his/her practice philosophy, prior to signing on as a patient if possible. A few places across the country have done surveys of doctors on their quality of care and patient satisfaction. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where this information is available, use it. Check with your state government consumer protection offices to find out what information is available.

It s important to remember that you have the right to expect quality healthcare at an affordable price. And even in the face of the current healthcare situation in America, you can find such care--if you look carefully and use the right criteria as you conduct your search.

(c) Copyright 2005 Pamela Armstrong All Rights Reserved