Your Ultimate Guide in Finding a Home Doctor

Adelaide is the capital of the state of South Australia. It is also the state’s largest city and Australia’s fifth-most populous city.

Even before the pandemic, people have consulted with home doctors for their medical needs. However, more people have resorted to home care this past year as the Covid-19 pandemic limited face-to-face consultations.

If you are in need of a home doctor, Adelaide has many options for you to call who are in close proximity of the city.

Read through to find out what to consider when choosing a home doctor for you.

Ask for recommendations

When you don’t have a go-to doctor yet, then getting recommendations is the best way of knowing reliable doctors. Ask your family or friends for any recommendations that they have for you. Their personal experience will help you gauge whether their doctor can work for you  or not.

However, different people have different experiences, so don’t stop with one or two good reviews. Instead, it would be best if you asked about other options if the first one recommended to you doesn’t work out.

Look for doctors in your vicinity

The reason why people resort to home care is that it is convenient for them. However, when you get a doctor who is located far from you, then convenience becomes immaterial.

You don’t want your doctor to travel a long distance and wait for a long time to get to you. Rather than being a convenience, you would be more hassled by the fact that the doctor has to come in from outside Adelaide.

Distance is essential in considering which doctor you should consult with because your health concerns should be addressed as soon as possible. There are many available doctors in the Adelaide area who are ready to attend to you for your medical needs.

Consider your health coverage

When you have identified the candidates you can consult with, ensure that your health plan covers them. Different doctors work with various medical insurances so make sure that your doctor can accommodate the insurance that you currently have.

Either check with the insurance company or ask your doctor first if they can accommodate you with your current health coverage.

Run a quality check

You dont want to consult a doctor who is not competent and legally qualified to practice medicine. Make sure that your doctor is board-certified. Ensure that your doctor meets licensing requirements of the state they are located in.

It is also important to know if your doctor has passed their respective board examinations. They should have also attended continuing education training and seminars in their respective fields to see that they give you updated medical advice.

Make a cold call

If you don’t want to be complacent and are still unsure, you can try calling the doctor’s office so that you can get an initial feel of their service. You can tell a lot of stuff from the staff reception and etiquette.

For example, ask if they’re open to taking new patients and how booking appointments happen.

Ask about teleconsultations and logistics

While doing your initial phone call, ask about different concerns like same-day appointments and how long before they can fit you in the doctors’ schedule.

Ask questions like how they handle prescription refills or let you know about test results, whether they’re open to receiving appointments by email or what to do if you’re overdue for an annual checkup or flu shot.

When you are looking for a home doctor, Adelaide has a lot of doctors that you can trust. But before making your appointments, make sure that you have done your research, especially if it will be your first-time consulting with your chosen doctor.