Patients may have many considerations when they choose a neurology clinic or practitioner. They may be looking for someone who specializes in a certain type of neurological disorder. Alternately, they could be searching for a clinic near home, or one that offers more advanced treatment of neurological diseases. Obviously comfort and trust in doctors that work at a neurology clinic is important too, and lastly, many people need to give some thought as to whether the clinic takes any health insurance or health plan.
For those concerned about health insurance, it may be better to start with lists of neurologists who work as providers for a specific health plan. People with Medicare or Medicaid, or health maintenance organizations may require referrals from their primary care doctor too. It may be helpful to specify any specific desires to the primary care physician. Asking the physician to recommend someone who is a specialist in epilepsy, for instance, could narrow down choices.
Other patients may simply be able to go off a list of network providers, without needing a referral. Yet it may still be a good idea to discuss this list with a trusted doctor. General care practitioners, pediatricians and internists may have worked with several neurologists and be able to make strong recommendations for a specific neurology clinic.
Given a list, patients can contact each neurology clinic to find out their specialties, and some may even have handy websites, which describe the backgrounds of the doctors and their areas of practice. Some neurologists will treat any patients with neurological conditions and others are involved in one or two areas of treatment. Should a person have a specific condition that has defied conventional neurological treatment finding a doctor who specializes in that condition may help.
Some patients will need to verify not only competence of doctors but also things like distance. Many neurological conditions make it difficult for people to drive, and they may need to find reliable means of transportation to and from clinics. Certain illnesses require very regular care, and another thing people might want to verify with a neurology clinic is hours of operation. If these are few, the clinic may not be an appropriate choice.
One choice some people have is to pursue treatment at a neurology clinic that is attached to a tertiary hospital. These clinics may offer some of the most highly trained specialists in the field. Again, for those who have a condition that hasn’t responded to treatment, or for those who have a rare condition, working with specialists that tend to see more rare expressions of neurological illness may be necessary. Moreover, for the treatment of children, a pediatric neurology clinic is usually the best choice, and these are typically located near major hospitals or children’s hospitals.
Once patients have decided on a neurology clinic, it’s still okay to make a different choice later. Sometimes a clinic sounds great, and really doesn’t live up to its initial promise. People find a doctor doesn’t have the bedside manner needed or they just feel unsupported by clinic staff. Patients are advised to hang onto any initial research they did in case they need to find a different clinic at a later point. It may come in handy.