Medicare Doctor

How to find a Medicare doctor

Medicare is the United States Government health insurance plan. This covers American citizens and permanent residents who have reached 65 years old. Some people younger can still qualify for the Medicare program, if they have a medical condition that meets the certain criteria to cover them.

The first thing you have to do is get your self covered by Medicare.  The second thing is find yourself a recognised Medicare doctor that participates in the Medicare program.

The best place to look is online at Medicare.gov. You will find here a database showing all Medicare doctors that reside in your area, helping you to locate a doctor for your special requirements. Unfortunately, this task is not as easy as it seems.

The database gives you the usual information you would expect, doctors name, address, phone number, area of practice and their speciality. Any doctors listed have already agreed to the terms of Medicare and will not charge you for service.

It is wise that new patients double check the details before actually visiting the doctor. This is because a new address may have not been updated yet. In addition, new doctors that only joined Medicare in the middle of the year may not even be listed yet.

Details on the site are easy to find and you should have no problem checking which Medicare doctor is best for your situation. You can also check out their medical school details, what year they graduated, any certificates they have, their specialties, if they can speak foreign languages, and what hospitals they are associated with. Using this information you can choose the doctor with the gender, age and speciality that will be best for you.

A major frustrating problem of the online database is that it does not inform you if the doctor is currently accepting new Medicare patients. One you have found the right Medicare doctor, make sure you phone him before visiting to confirm new Medicare patients are being received. Take warning of this or you could find yourself having to pay the bill.

Another confusing part of the database is the Medicare doctor may be listed but be associated with a clinic or medical group that is not.  This is another one to be careful of as you may end up paying a lot more than you would if they were situated in a private office. Confirm with the doctor beforehand which of the offices are actually covered by Medicare insurance.

You will not find a complete list of all the practicing doctors, as the Medicare database only list those accepting Medicare. A few exceptions are also not listed. These are: Medicare doctors who are currently excluded from payment by Medicare (even if received payment in the past) and doctors who no longer wish to be in the Medicare program.

Any Medicare details should be checked beforehand, as the information is subject to change. Use this information just as a guide; do not rely on it entirely. Always double check as it can save you time, hassle and most importantly money.

Entry Filed under: How to Guides