QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED BY VISITING PHYSICIANS AND SPOUSES *
A Checklist
During their visit to your community, the physician and spouse will often ask many of the following questions. (In fact, a similar list is provided to NHSC physicians and their families before the visit.) An excellent way to prepare for the visit is to answer these questions beforehand.
The questions are presented below under three topical headings: "The Local Medical Situation," "The Practice," and "The Community Setting." In the space provided, you may want to note how you would answer the question and whom the physician could contact for additional information.
The Local Medical Situation
Why is there a need for a new practice? How many other doctors practice in the area? Where are their offices located? How old are they? What are their specialties? What other health personnel work in this area? How many nurses are there?
Is the town without a doctor now? How long has it been without one? Why did the last physician leave? Where do people now go for medical care? Who provides it?
What health plans exist for the area? (The Primary Care Association or Primary Care Organization for your state is probably the best source of information.)
What is the current health status of the area - e.g., prevalent diseases and disease factors? What public health programs exist now?
How do physicians in the area work together? Are they organized in a local medical society?
What steps would be involved in obtaining a license to practice medicine in this state? (You can obtain this information from your state licensing board and provide it to visiting physicians from outside the state.)
The Practice
What geographic area is the practice expected to serve? How many patients are anticipated?
What locations are available for the office? Are they close to public transportation? Is adequate parking available? Do they have an adequate number of rooms (i.e., waiting room, office or consultation room for each physician, at least two examining rooms per practitioner, storage area)?
Which services will the practice provide, and which will be provided by other sources? Where is the nearest pharmacy? Clinical laboratory?
How far away is the nearest hospital? What facilities does it have? Is there an emergency room? Can you begin now to make arrangements for hospital privileges? How would nursing homes in the area relate to the practice?
Where are physicians available for consultations and referrals? Are medical schools, training centers, and/or group practices accessible for telephone consultations or patient referrals?
What emergency transportation is available, e.g., rescue squad equipment or specia1ly equipped ambulances?
What are the opportunities for continuing medical education in the area? Through the local medical society? "Telephone access" systems? Medical schools, group practices, or hospital-based training programs? Other professional organizations? (NHSC support includes education leave, travel costs, library services, and other benefits.)
Note: The remaining questions about "The Practice" refer especially to NHSC-assisted practices and the roles of the physician and the community organization in practice planning and management. However any community groups seeking a physician should discuss these kinds of issues with any interested practitioner.
What are the objectives of your community organization?
What working relationships are envisioned between the community organization and the physician? How much control does your organization expect to have over the practice? In which areas is discretion left to the physician?
How far will the community organization go to meet its commitments? Have any efforts been made to raise money for the pre-operational budget?
What plans have been made to publicize the new practice?
What medical equipment and office furnishings will be provided by the community organization?
What are the plans for the development of the practice? Has the prospective patient population been estimated? Has a budget been drawn up? A fee schedule prepared? Are there arrangements for dealing with third-party providers (i.e., Medicaid, Medicare, Blue Cross, etc.)?
Has the use of a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant been considered? (The NHSC may support the training of a qualified local RN to become a Nurse Practitioner.)
What office hours are planned? How will the practice be covered on nights, weekends, during leave time? By other physicians, a hospital emergency room, etc.? Can an answering service or telephone "beeper" be provided?
Are there plans for medical records? (Wherever feasible, NHSC-assisted practices use the "problem-oriented" medical record, and the Corps provides technical assistance in installing and using such a system.)
How will the physician's practice-related expenses be reimbursed? (These expenses include license fees, medical society dues, local job-related travel, and medical publications.)
What plans exist for staffing support functions (receptionist, bookkeeper, record clerk, etc.)? Who will select and supervise them?
How many physicians and other health professiona1s are planned for this practice? How many NHSC providers? Are other physicians already working there, or expected to join the practice?
The Community Setting
What is the potential for private practice in this area? Is the local economy sound? Is the community growing? Do public assistance programs permit disadvantaged citizens to have access to medical care?
Is there appropriate employment available for the physician's spouse within a reasonable commuting time? Can your community organization help find suitable positions? Are "day care" centers or babysitting services available?
What opportunities are there for the spouse to obtain additional education or training? (Correspondence courses, university extension programs, community colleges, etc.)
What types of housing are available in nearby communities or the surrounding area? At what prices and interest rates? Are rentals available?
What is the school situation in the area? What health services are available in the schools?
What churches are in the area? What social or educational opportunities are offered? Do they represent a channel for informing the public about health problems or needed services?
What shopping, banking, and other facilities and services are available in the immediate area? What larger cities or shopping centers are used by local citizens, and how far away (in time) are they? Where is the nearest military Exchange and Commissary (for NHSC physicians who are officers in the U. S. Public Health Service)?
What social activities, recreation and entertainment are available in this community? Within an hour's drive? Near enough for outings or short vacations? What recreational activities are provided through civic groups or clubs? What kind of environment does the community offer? Are there air pollution or noise pollution problems? What is the crime rate? Is it a good community environment for raising children?
* Source: Finding a Doctor for Your Community, pp. 23-28.