Foot problems are becoming common these days. These problems are treated by podiatrists, who specialize in treating foot problems. Are you having difficulty choosing the right podiatrist for your foot care needs? This article is for you. We’ve covered the 4 most important questions to ask when choosing a podiatrist for your foot care.
4 Questions to ask when choosing a podiatrist
- Where to look?
To look for a podiatrist, you can consult your primary care physician because they can recommend a podiatrist they trust and can collaborate with in the future if needed for your treatment. Then, you can ask your family and friends who are taking treatment from a podiatrist because they share their honest opinions about their experience.
Other than that, you can check online resources to find a podiatrist in your area – the American Board of Podiatric Medicine, and the American Podiatric Medical Association.
Another helpful source is your insurance company. Depending on your insurance plan, you may get a list of certain podiatrists that participate in your plan. You can check those podiatrists they provide. However, you can also look for a podiatrist outside your podiatrist list.
- Questions to ask your podiatrist:
To select the right podiatrist for yourself, you need to make an appointment with every single one of them and ask questions to help you judge whether the podiatrist is right for you or not. Here is a list of sample questions that you should ask about podiatrists. It includes:
- What is your medical background? This is the most important question to judge whether your podiatrist is fully qualified and trained enough to treat you.
- Are they accepting new patients? It may be unheard of, but some podiatrists don’t accept new patients if they have many patients already. If they are full, they may refer you to one of their colleagues.
- How long have they been practicing podiatry after training? This way you can find how much experience they have.
- Are they specializing in any particular podiatry field? Most of the time, podiatrists specialize in specific fields of podiatry such as child podiatry. That’s why first you should search which field your treatment falls in and then choose the podiatrist.
- How many patients similar to you have they treated and the outcome? This way you know their experience with similar cases and how much they can improve your condition.
- Is their clinic board-certified? This is particularly important, check their qualification and certifications by checking the registration on the American Podiatric Medical Association.
- What are their office hours? This way you will know their work hours and the busy schedules they follow.
- Are emergency services available? In case of a fracture, emergency services should be there to treat the patient.
- Do they provide an on-site diagnosis? Some podiatrist clinics do not have the necessary equipment to diagnose your condition that affects your foot or legs.
- Do they accept insurance? This can be a principal factor to know whether you need to pay for all or some for your treatment.
- What other services do they offer? Some podiatry services offer 24/7 medical access, phone therapy, transportation services in local areas, handicap facilities, etc.
- Check their reviews:
Now after selecting a podiatrist for yourself. You need to check the reviews of patients who had treatment from the podiatrist. This way you can find how satisfied the patients are with their services and treatment. While there are chances that you may find fake or paid reviews. But if the clinic is genuine, you find non-filter reviews which can increase your trust and expectation for a better service.
- Check their practice license:
For a podiatrist to acquire their practice license, they need to study 4 years of premedical in college or university then 4 years in podiatric medical school to earn their medical professional of podiatric medicine degree (DPM), then 3 years of residency for postgraduate education and training.
Some podiatrists also sub-specialize in certain areas such as sports medicine, research, dermatology, trauma, wound care, diabetes, etc. They take extra training to become experts in that area. Depending on your health, you can visit a podiatrist who specializes in that area.
After that, they take training under their superior and meet certain criteria to obtain their license to practice medicine. Each state has its requirements for practitioners. You can check a doctor’s education and license by visiting the state’s board of podiatry website. You can also find out if any disciplinary action takes place against the podiatric physician or if he/she is honored, as a podiatrist.
Some podiatrists are board-certified which means they fulfill the criteria and pass a written exam. If your podiatrist is board certified it means they can give advanced treatment such as surgery or medical recommendations. Keep in mind that it takes time to become a board-certified practitioner. So, your podiatrist may be old.
These are things and questions to ask a podiatrist when you look into them for your treatment. This way you can ensure that your treatment went well, and your foot health is properly managed.
If you are experiencing any foot problems, and you need help with finding a good podiatrist, Doral Health & Wellness employs Podiatrists with extensive education and expertise. Trauma to the tendons, muscles, and bones of the foot is quite common. It’s not a good idea to put off seeing a Foot Doctor Brooklyn until you’re in a lot of pain. Our address is 1797 Pitkin Avenue, New York, NY 11212. To make an appointment, please call +1-347-384-5690 or send an email to info@podiatristsbrooklyn.com.