HEALTH & FITNESS
pediatrics
MOTHER'S WORLD from page A23
Most women visit more than one
Finding A Pediatrician
Questions you should ask ...
• Where are you located, and do you
have a satellite office?
• Do you offer same-day sick ap-
pointments?
• Do you have any late or weekend
hours?
• What happens if I need advice
after-hours? Is there a doctor on
call to talk to me?
• Are there extra charges for advice
calls during the day, for after-
hours advice calls, for refilling
medicines or for requests to fill
out forms?
• Are the doctors all board certified?
• How long is a typical appoint-
ment?
• What do you do to stay current in
the latest trends in disease and
prevention?
• Do you have a subspecialty or area
of pediatric interest? If so, what?
You may want to seek another
pediatrician if ...
• Your pediatrician overtreats your
child for simple illnesses, running
a battery of tests that raise your
bills.
• Your pediatrician gets upset when
you seek a second opinion.
• Your pediatrician makes you feel
uncomfortable or stupid when you
ask for details.
• The staff makes you feel uncom-
fortable when you call with con-
cerns or emergencies.
close to you," Obron said. "Then you
can consider if you prefer the doctor
personally, whether you want a practice
where you are comfortable with a phy-
sician assistant answering your ques-
tions or more comfortable with a doctor
directly responding to your question.
"In our practice, for example, we per-
sonally return patients' calls and answer
their questions. And we are set up so
that a patient never receives a busy sig-
nal or a road map when calling. Our staff
personally answer the phone because
obstetrician, interviewing each before
making a final decision. They can't pre-
may be limited, so check the plan's
online list, which is more current than
paper lists.
dict what their individual pregnancy will
require, but the interview gives them a
"After I completed my pediatric
rotation at Children's Hospital of
better idea of the doctor's outlook and
practice patterns.
Jaime Powell Horowitz of Royal Oak
Michigan in Detroit, I knew I wanted to
be a pediatrician," said Vicki Solway,
M.D., with offices at Medical Center
will give birth to her first child this sum-
mer.
Pediatrics in West Bloomfield. "I
trained myself to be a good listener
and to take the time to answer most of
"I spoke with people I trusted about
their recommendation for a doctor,"
she said. "I wanted to be comfortable
with my doctor. I wanted someone who
would listen to me and who had a good
bedside manner; someone who would
have a calming effect on me."
Hamid Banooni, M.D., a Farmington
Hills ob-gyn, believes it's important that
the patient and her doctor share the
same philosophy of labor and delivery.
For instance, if a patient prefers a natu-
ral delivery, then that must also be the
goal of the physician.
"It's also important for patients to find
out about how they can contact their
physician after-hours, whether the office
the questions the parents toss at me."
Solway recommends that parents
visit pediatricians' offices before they
make a final selection. "Talk to the
Good pediatricians have more than
just core competencies of disease treat-
ment. They also are knowledgeable in
proactive quality care, such as disease
prevention and child development.
Many parents choose a pediatri-
cian based on recommendations from
friends or family. This may work, but
staff is accommodating and what the
physician's prenatal policy is," Banooni
be sure to ask why your cousin rec-
ommends a particular doctor before
making a commitment. Your cousin,
said. "It's fine if a woman wants to
consult with a friend about which physi-
cian to select, but make sure you and
for example, may like the pediatrician
because he's fast and she's out of the
office quickly. You, on the other hand,
the friend have the same temperament
so that the recommendation makes
sense."
may prefer a slower pace.
Although we like to think that cost
and convenience should be secondary
Melissa Shepherd of West Bloomfield
prefers a small practice where each
when making such an important deci-
sion, they are important when choosing
a pediatrician. If the pediatrician you
doctor knows her and she doesn't have
to deal with a nurse practictioner.
an hour away, it may not be practical
to go to her office.
and then I have to wait for the doctor,"
Shepherd said. "It's also important to
"It's important to select a hospital
location that makes sense to you, so
find out with what hospitals the doctor
about whether or not I breast feed my
children and I don't want to feel guilty,
whatever my decision."
Choosing A Pediatrician
The best time to choose a pediatrician
is well before the baby's due date to
prevent any glitches in care after birth.
Babies often come early and it is so
much easier on the mother if she has
found a pediatrician whose style and
personality work with her own. In many
is affiliated," said pediatrician Stacey
Wittenberg, M.D., of Internal Medicine
and Pediatric of Bloomfield, P.C., in
West Bloomfield. "I'm a mother of
three and I hate to wait in the office, so
they're not well."
The quality of care was foremost for
Mara Rosenthal of Huntington Woods
when she began looking for a pediatri-
areas, the moment the cord is cut, the
important that her obstetrician is on
staff at Royal Oak-based Beaumont
Hospitals. "I also looked for some-
obstetrician or other doctor is techni-
cally no longer responsible for your
child; it's the pediatrician.
times I don't get my preferred doctor,
especially when I make the appoint-
ment at the last minute," she said. "A
one who had a good bedside manner,
patience and compassion because preg-
nant women need lots of attention," she
A good time to begin searching is
about 3-4 months before the baby is
due. If you're in a managed health care
good idea is to talk to the nurses to
find out about office hours and how
long you may have to wait, to see if
said.
plan, choices of participating doctors
that works for you."
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July 30 2009
Lili Levi, M.D.
not waiting for preventive visits would
be one of my criteria. I also want to
be able to bring my children in when
cian.
"We now go to a practice that has
seven or eight pediatricians; some-
that's what our patients prefer."
Emily Levin of Birmingham feels it's
Hamid Banooni, M.D.
want is not in your insurance plan or is
"I don't want a practice that has a
nurse line that screens my questions
me that my doctors respect my views
and not push their perspectives on me.
For instance, I want to make the choice
Martin Hurwitz, M.D.
office manager for a better idea about
how the office runs and if this meets
with your expectations."
Nancy Cutler, M.D.