﻿ How to choose a doctor, questions to ask how to research a
doctor on MedicineNet.com  How to Choose a Doctor  Medical
Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D. Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht,
Ph.D.     Most practicing physicians in the U.S. both primary
care physicians physicians (a doctor you would see for routine
ailments such as a cold, the flu, and regular checkups) and
specialists (doctors who focus on one area whom you would see,
for example, for a colonoscopy, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS ,
multiple sclerosis, cancer, or other specific conditions) are
board certified, meaning that they have completed residency
training in a specific field following graduation from medical
school and have passed a competency examination in that field.
Primary care providers may be board certified in different areas
such as, for instance, Family Medicine or Internal Medicine.  
It is also possible to find out whether a physician is in good
standing with state licensing agencies through a Web site run by
administrators of several