Choosing a Doctor
Finding the right doctor to treat your leukemia can take time. Carefully choosing the best doctor for you will help you navigate treatment and eventually long-term follow-up care. Here are some steps you can follow when searching for a doctor.
Decide what qualities your doctor should have
Before you start your search, think about the specific qualities you want your doctor to have. These may include:
- A doctor who specializes in your type of cancer. A hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who specializes in blood cancers, including leukemia. Finding a doctor familiar with the latest advances, standards, and research for leukemia can be to your advantage.
- A doctor who accepts your health insurance.
- A doctor who practices at a medical center you're willing to use. Doctors can only send patients to medical centers where they have admitting privileges.
- A doctor you feel comfortable with. Language, gender, and personality may be important to you. You may also care about how they communicate with you. Some people want their doctors to be all business, while others value a doctor who can help with both their emotional and physical health needs.
Make a list of doctors
You may want to start by getting referrals from trusted people. The doctor who found your cancer is the first person you should ask. Try to get at least two or three referrals from this doctor.
You may also want to speak with others in your area who have been treated for the same type of leukemia you have. Leukemia support communities, like our free online support community, can help you connect with other patients.
You can also search for a leukemia doctor online through directories offered by reputable organizations. Here are two that might be helpful.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology: Find a cancer doctor by name, location, and medical specialty.
- American Society of Hematology: Find a hematologist in your area.
When searching for doctors, don't be afraid to look outside of your area and state. They may be closer than you think and could offer expertise or convenience that doctors or medical centers in your immediate area do not.
Read patient reviews and research the doctor's credentials and experience, including medical school, training, certifications, and malpractice history. These organizations can help.
- Federation of State Medical Board: Check the healthcare provider's basic information, including board certifications, education, the listed states where an active license is maintained, and any actions against them.
- American Board of Medical Specialties: This website allows you to search for any doctor and view their board certifications.
If you have health insurance, make sure the doctors on your list are in-network. Typically, you can do this online through your member portal or by calling the member services hotline on the back of your health insurance card.
Finally, call the doctor offices on your list to make sure they are accepting new patients. It doesn't hurt to double-check that they take your health insurance while you have them on the phone.
Choose the right doctor for you
The next step is to schedule appointments with the doctors from your list. Check with your insurance company to see if this type of visit is covered. If not, you may want to ask some of these questions on the phone until you've narrowed down your choices to the top two or three doctors.
Some questions you may want to ask include:
- How long has the doctor been practicing?
- How many people with your type of leukemia has the doctor treated?
- How many patients are they currently treating? How many are leukemia patients?
- Are they board-certified?
- Is the doctor or their medical center involved in clinical trials for new treatments?
- What are their office hours?
- Can you get in touch with the doctor after hours, on weekends, or on holidays?
- Who else will be on your cancer care team?
In addition to the above information, think about how comfortable you feel with the doctor. You should feel confident in their ability to treat your cancer and satisfied with how they treat you as a person. Can you talk to them? Did they listen to you? If you don't get the right answers or have any hesitations, keep looking. It may take more than one visit before you can comfortably make a decision.
Read next
Choosing a medical center
Preparing for your first appointment
