LibGuides: Find a Doctor: Research Your Physician!

Need a Doctor?

article by Kate Lowenstein

Health, March, 2012: page 75

The article discusses how to find the right primary care physician (PCP), nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA) for one's family. According to "You Bet Your Life: The Ten Mistakes Every Patient Makes" author Trisha Torrey, having a regular doctor is important because it is a requirement for majority of insurance plans. It presents several steps in finding the right doctor, including consulting one's social network and verifying his/her credentials.

The full-text of this article is available for Alabama residents free of charge through the Alabama Virtual Library.

Local Medical Centers

If a doctor is on staff (or has admitting privileges) at a local hospital, the websites below will have some background on the physician.

Huntsville Hospital
This locator also finds doctors at Madison Hospital, Athens-Limestone Hospital, and Decatur General.
Crestwood Medical Center

Physician Information

The free online directories below provide background information on physicians across the country.

Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission
You may look up by name, location, or license number. Entries include age of physician, school, residency, type license, expiration date of license, specialty, and any restrictions placein the license.
Alabama Board of Dental Examiners
The ABDE provides two PDF documents on their website listing active dentists and active dental hygienists in the state.
HealthGrades > Find a Doctor | Doctor Reviews | Hospital Ratings
According to HealthGrades: "Consumers choose Healthgrades because we are America’s most comprehensive source of information on hospitals and doctors. A recognized expert in measuring healthcare quality, Healthgrades provides objective information on clinical outcomes, patient safety and patient satisfaction to help consumers make an informed decision on choosing care from virtually any hospital in the nation. Our physician profiles are the most current and comprehensive available."
American Medical Association: Doctorfinder
According to the AMA website, this database includes more than 814,000 doctors. Profile information includes specialty, hospital admitting privileges, health plan participation, medical school, residency location, certifications. I've had trouble using this website on Internet Explorer 9. If you have trouble, try another browser.
American Board of Medical Specialists
This free service verifies the board certification status, location by city and state, and specialty of any physician certified by one or more of the 24 Member Boards. Site requires you to create a free account. I've had trouble using Internet Explorer 9 for this site. If you experience problems, try another browser.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Find a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon. You may search by name, location, and/or speciality.
American Dental Association
Find members of the ADA in your community. You may search by last name and location; and you may limit by specialty.
American Optometric Association
You may search for doctors by name, location, and/or specialty. You may also limit your search to doctors participating in the InfantSEE program. Profile includes location, school, language, and specialty.
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Allows you to search by name, location, and/or specialty. Profile includes location, type practice, specialty, education, and residency.
Top Doctors (U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report has created a database of a few thousand of the "top doctors" in America using a peer nomination process. You can search by specialty and/or location. You can also get data on specific hospitals.

Subject Guide

Tina O'Driscoll

Reference Books

America's Top Doctors by John J. Connolly; Jean Morgan (Editor)
Call Number: MAIN R610.695
ISBN: 9781883769857
Publication Date: 2010-02-01
The Comparative Guide to American Hospitals, Volume 1 by David Garoogian (Editor)
Call Number: MAIN R362.1109 COM
ISBN: 9781592372805
Publication Date: 2007-08-01

Collection includes all four volumes.