While many people in cities like New York blindly choose their general doctor from a list of professionals in their work health plan, when it comes to finding a good neurologist it's better to be a bit smarter than that. After all, it's the human brain we are talking about, and finding the top neurologist requires using it.
Many companies and health plans have made advancements in rating the quality of hospitals, but they haven't yet reached the same high-level rating system for individual doctors, and that goes double for specialists like neurologists.
Use your brain. And your detective skills.
Right now, it is still not as easy for New Yorkers to find good doctors, but it is changing. For example, the government Medicare program has begun a physician quality reporting system, but it is just getting started and the physician-specific information isn't available yet.
For now, the smartest way to find top neurologists is to do your own work. Here are three good tips:
1- Don't necessarily take the €advice€ route. Someone seeking a neurologist could simply ask friends, family and coworkers for their advice in order to get good leads, but that doesn't lend itself to making objective decisions. Social networks are another place to seek advice, but leads gotten here also are based on personal opinion and not a valid reputation or rating. A person might buy a car off of a friend's recommendation but when neurology is concerned, getting valid ratings is smarter. That means research must be done on the part of the person seeking the neurologist.
2- Do your own research. Sites like healthGrades and ConsumersChecklist will list their take on the top physicians in New York, including neurologists. It can be a great place to start to find names that are listed in specific areas of New York, but these sites charge a fee. Publications like New York also provide listings of top specialists for free. Search engines can be used for free too, to see what lists are valid and which names start cropping up time and again.
Someone who has a company health plan can start comparing the list of neurologists in the plan and see which ones match any of the top names on other lists you find online. Again, things like location in the city and affiliation with local hospitals should be considered, too. More research can be done to see if any awards or breakthroughs have been made by anyone chosen on the list.
3- Contact the state medical board. A person seeking the best neurologist can also contact the medical board validate whether any neurologist you choose has a proper license, has had any disciplinary actions filed against them and is indeed certified in neurology.
In the end, after a list of top neurologists has been made, personal consultations will matter in determining the proper fit between specialist and patient. It is an important relationship, so personality and personal approach will matter.