Finding a physician is easy, right? All you have to do is hope online, ask the almighty Google to find a doctor for you, fill out the right paperwork, and there you have it. Right?

Unfortunately, finding a doctor to switch to takes a bit more effort than that. Think about it. This is a person whom you’re literally trusting your well-being with, after all. You may even wind up making life-changing decisions based off of their opinions. With that in mind, should you do a bit more when finding a medical professional than just look online for one? Here’s what you should do.

Check With Your Insurance Network.

One of the first things you’re going to want to do to find a doctor is to check with your insurance network. If you find a doctor outside of your network and seek their help, you’re going to wind up paying hundreds, possibly thousands, out of pocket. To avoid such a scenario, use your insurance company’s directory to find a doctor in your network. Then, call the office to ask whether they still accept your insurance or not, as the info may possibly be out of date.

Check to See If They’re Board Certified.

You’re not going to want, you’re going to need to find a doctor who’s certified through the American Board of Medical Specialties. This certification shows that the physician has earned a medical degree from a qualified medical school, done about five years of residency training, earned a license from their state medical board, and passed one or more exams administered by a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Essentially, this certification shows that the doctor has gone through rigorous training.

Check For Red Flags.

Once you find a doctor who is both in your health insurance network and is board certified, you’re going to want to do a little bit of digging and find out if they’ve ever had malpractice claims or disciplinary actions taken against them. That being said, even good doctors get sued once or twice, so what you’re going to want to be on the lookout for is a history of complaints and actionable offenses.

Finding a hospital and doctor can be a bit time consuming, but it’s an endeavor you’re going to want to spend your time on. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. More info like this.