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Patient Choice encourages individuals to be active, informed health care
consumers. Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about
your health care providers and facilities:
Best Practice Guidelines -
The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), a collaboration of
Minnesota-based health care organizations and providers, is
focused on helping providers identify and incorporate best clinical
practices for their patients. To help inform individuals, the organization
has developed consumer-friendly versions of the guidelines.
Board Certification - Verify the board
certification of a physician through The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS),
an organization of 24 approved medical specialty boards. Note: First time users
will need to register to use the site.
Compare Your Care -
Use this web-based tool to help you understand what quality health
care is and how to get it. The tool offers you customized information
about your health care. You rate the quality of your health care and your
doctor by answering survey questions. In return, you learn the important
questions to ask, how to be an advocate for yourself and ways to manage your
own health care.
Choosing a Doctor -
This information is provided by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Nation's lead Federal agency for research on health care quality, costs, outcomes, and patient safety. The document offers valuable tips on choosing a doctor to best meet your needs.
Educational Background -
Use the "find a provider" feature on the Minnesota Medical Association's
web site to learn where your physician attended medical school and the
year graduated.
Licensing/Sanction Information - View
the licensing background and disciplinary information of physicians and other
health care practitioners using the Administrators in Medicine's (AIM) DocFinder feature.
Recognized Physician Directory -
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has established a diabetes program and a heart/stroke
program to identify physicians that meet care standards established for each program. On the site,
individuals can locate physicians who have been "recognized" for performing well in these programs.
Talking With Your Doctor -
Available on the American Cancer Society web site, this document helps patients understand the importance of a healthy doctor-patient relationship and offers questions patients can ask their doctors. While written for cancer patients, it contains useful information for all patients.
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