This is the second part of a series for immigrants about establishing and maintaining a relationship with health care professionals in the United States.

After you find a good doctor, you will want to evaluate whether you made a good choice –whether or not that is the right doctor for you. This Fact Sheet is designed to help guide immigrants through the process of evaluating a health care provider.

Here is our checklist of things to look for when evaluating a health care provider:

1) Does the doctor have a well equipped office? Does the doctor try to make it easy for patients by collecting blood samples, taking x-rays, and other basic tests in the office or are you sent to a separate lab for most types of blood and urine samples, and other tests?

2) If you or members of your family are not fluent in English, how proficient is the doctor (and staff) in your language?

3) Is the doctor's office/clinic comfortable? Has the doctor bothered to provide the basic amenities you prefer like comfortable seating, easy to understand forms (in your language), drinking water, an accessible restroom, a play area or toys for children, reading material that is clean and in good shape? Are there educational materials for patients in the waiting area?

4) Do you have to wait a long time before seeing the doctor, even when you have an appointment? Is it hard to get an appointment? If you leave a message, do you get a return call? How promptly? Does the doctor or his/her staff schedule follow up appointments and call to remind you of the appointment? Do you have to pay a fee if you miss an appointment without cancelling in advance? Does the fee increase if your family misses more than one appointment? How much notice do you have to give?

5) Is the receptionist and nursing staff professional, warm, and helpful?

6) Are your medical records well maintained and easily located? Is the office computerized so they can be easily retrieved in an emergency and from a remote location?

7) Does your doctor verify who you are and review your medical history and records before beginning an exam? Does the doctor sit when talking to you (talking while standing is sometimes an indication that s/he is too busy to listen)? Does s/he take the time to ask questions and let you explain yourself thoroughly?

8) Do you feel comfortable with the doctor? Do you feel s/he is trustworthy? Capable? Do you feel you can openly discuss anything with him or her? Does s/he encourage you to express all your concerns? At the end of the visit does s/he ask if there is anything else you want to talk about?

9) Does the doctor routinely order a lot of tests? Does s/he take the time to send you the results and explain them to you? Does s/he insist that you get all your tests done only at a lab he is affiliated with? Does he encourage you to get a second opinion or try to discourage you from getting one?

10) When making decisions for your medical care, does your doctor explain his/her diagnosis, the available treatment options and the pros and cons, and the risks of each option, and then involve you in the decision making process?

11) Does your doctor prescribe drugs for almost every condition, even minor ones? Does s/he explain the side effects of the drugs, the effects of stopping the use of them without slowly reducing the use of them? Does s/he tell you what adverse reactions to look for and contact him or her about?

12) When the doctor refers you to a specialist, does s/he give you the choice of several physicians? Does s/he contact the specialist to share information about your case, and make arrangements to send a copy of your test results and medical records to insure the specialist has all of the facts about your medical condition and history, as well as to save time and money?

13) When the doctor recommends surgery or another invasive treatment, does he explain all of the risks and alternatives? Does he patiently answer all your questions?

14) Does the doctor look at your overall health and help you to address issues that can help to prevent future problems such as issues relating to weight, stress, exercise, and smoking?

Finding good medical care when you first immigrate to a new country can seem like an overwhelming task. We hope you find this guide helpful and welcome your further suggestions and feedback.