#Asked
It’s inevitable – we all get sick sometimes. From dealing with the day-to-day stressors, to coming in contact with other kids at daycare, to the forecasted flu season, there will be a time in your life where you need to connect with someone in the medical field.
But perhaps you’re new to the area, or you’ve got something going on that your primary care provider is not equipped to handle. What resources are there to find a doctor in your area that meets your needs?
Since #adulting consists of setting up appointments for your yearly physicals, teeth cleanings, sight checks, + more – we’re asking you to assist us in creating a guide on where to find doctors here in Columbia. From pediatricians to podiatrists, we want to know what sites, groups, or connections you have to the medical field. Who’s your primary care? Where did you find your specialist? No matter the field, let us know how you came to be under the care of your healthcare provider, so we may pass along the information to those wayward souls with the non-stop runny noses.
What are your go-to resources to find a doctor in the area? Where have you personally found your medical provider?
Let us know your process of finding a doctor in the area. We would appreciate the links to any sites used, the name of the provider, their specialty, and where they are located.
#Answered
A few weeks ago, we asked you how you’ve found a doctor in Columbia if you recently moved here, needed a new specialist (thanks to #adulting) or just needed to switch up your primary care physician (no more trips to the pediatrician over the age of 25).
In response, we got dozens of helpful tips + tricks that we’re excited to share with y’all.
To kick it off, Lexington Medical Center told us there’s an easy way to search their site when you find yourself in need of a new physician. It’s literally called Find A Doctor — and from there you can search for your new M.D. from a comprehensive physician network with 70 physician practices throughout the Midlands, representing more than 20 specialties, from primary care to obstetrics to orthopaedics. Ⓟ
Our readers had a lot of great tips, too. Here’s some of the advice you shared with us:
👩⚕️ Advice for finding a doctor:
Via your healthcare provider + insurance company
“If you have health insurance, when you log into your account on the company’s website, there’s usually a way to search for medical providers who are in the company’s network (so you’ll get charged in-network prices rather than out-of-network prices). The results may also say
whether each one is accepting new patients or not. Once I get a list of covered providers, I usually do web searches to find more info on each doctor and/or location, to help narrow down my choices. Here in Columbia, USC Medical Group has several locations and doctors in many specialties.” – Y. Mcdonald
“I always start with my insurance carrier, no one wants to find a great doctor only to realize they’re out of network! I also use a mix of recommendations from friends, and doctors who are part of the same care group (i.e. if you use a primary care physician that’s part of Lexington Medical, all of the doctors in their network will have your info, no need to fill out the same paperwork a dozen times or get the same blood tests for different doctor’s uses).” – Mallory O.
“Typically I use my insurance search feature to find a doctor in network that specializes in what I desire. More broadly, I would love to see SC Center for Integrative Medicine in any healthcare provider feature you do. They are doing some seriously great stuff and they focus on holistic wellness instead of just throwing prescriptions around first thing. Lauren Rosa, the NP there is delightful, personable and really cares about Columbia’s wellbeing.” – Laura C.
“If you have insurance, check your insurer’s website to find someone in network. You can usually search by specialty like family medicine or internal medicine. I usually compare the list of doctors on my insurer’s site to their reviews on Google and Facebook and go from there.” – Carolyn H.
“I always start with my insurance company because it doesn’t matter how great the doctor is, if they don’t take my insurance or aren’t in my network, I probably can’t afford to see them. My insurance company, BlueCross BlueShield, has lots of different criteria to search.” – Jamie W.
“Providence Health offers a FABULOUS tool called 1-800-424-DOCS. Dial that # and you can be connected to any specialty physician from a family medicine doctor to an ENT - “head to toe” doctors at your fingertips! Any physician who wishes to participate can be added to this community tool. Providence Health is all about making communities healthier so offering this tool helps those in the community find any type of physician they may need.” – Libby Ann I.
Via a quick internet search
“Google reviews are helpful, as well as word of mouth referrals. Anyone having orthopedic pain should try a physical therapist before seeing a doctor, as most conditions or easily managed conservatively, PTs are trained doctors of movement and trained to screen for red flags, including everything from fractures to cancer, and you can see a PT without a doctor’s referral for 30 days in the state of S.C. currently, if you have private insurance. As a PT myself, more people need to know about this option.” – Nancy I.
“I’m a big fan of the site ZocDoc. They let you put in your insurance information and some doctors will even schedule through the site. Ultimately, I usually go to doctors recommended by co-workers and friends, though. Nothing like commiserating about the state health plan with others who get it.” – Morgan R.
Via the people you trust most
“Getting referrals from your social groups & networks and Facebook obviously does wonders in this department. The neighborhoods have pages that you can reach out to.” – Robert M.
“I usually get recommendations from friends or neighbors, look the doctors up online get feedback and reviews. Their office staff if also a big thing for me, if the office staff is rude and not very helpful, I will not go to that doctor, they act like the gatekeepers. Check to see what hospitals affiliated with, what insurance is accepted, and any malpractice suits also. You are your # 1 advocate!” – Bob and Colleen C.
“When I first graduated here, I asked people I worked with. This way I could get a personal recommendation from someone who was under the same health insurance plan as me. If that didn’t work, I would look up in-network providers, and then just start calling. The majority were not taking new patients for a year or so. I also would schedule an appointment and if they were running more than 30 minutes late and the front desk acted as if that was normal, I would tell them to cancel my appointment because my time is also valuable. Finally, for dentists, I first asked everyone I knew. Vista Smiles was wonderful on the phone, and then when I got there, I was so incredibly freaked out, they tried everything to calm my nerves. When that didn’t work, they scheduled a sedation for me, and did everything while I was asleep. I highly recommend them, especially for people with phobias.” – Samantha F.
“Personal referrals has worked best for me since moving back to Columbia two years ago. I tried the ‘Best of Columbia’ list for a dentist, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I got a referral from a friend who is a dentist in another town, and he is one of the best dentists I have ever seen. All of the doctors I am using now were from personal referrals.” – Susan H.
👨⚕️ Doctor Suggestions:
Primary Care
“My primary care doctor is Charissa Lowe at Agape Physicians on Main Street next to Michael’s. She is amazing and really cares about her patients. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a primary doctor in the downtown Columbia area. I found my doctor’s office by going to my insurance’s website (BCBS) and then went to the ‘find a provider link’ and it showed me all of the doctors in the area that accept my insurance.” – Amanda F.
Alternative Medicine
“I recently heard from a friend about SC Integrated Medicine. You pay $25 a month per person without insurance. A PA can diagnose and write scripts. And the PA, Dr. Kim, not only went to medical school, but is well versed in holistic wellness and makes suggestions in that realm as well. I found my gyno through a friend’s recommendation (Dr. Smith at Vista Women’s Healthcare is the beeeesssstttt) and my regular doctor through a recommendation from a friend in med school (Dr. Shaffer at John. A Martin Primary Care in Winnsboro, worth the drive as he has been able to help diagnose what others couldn’t).” – Madison V.
“For people who work or live downtown, Main Street Physician’s is a super convenient location. I see NP, Charissa Lowe, and love the fact that she discusses different approaches and options for dealing with my healthcare concerns. I feel like this gives me more incentive and control over outcomes, and I don’t always need to rely on medications. Their online portal is also a great feature for scheduling and getting updates on labs or any care provided.” – Joe N.
Home-Health
“SC House Calls provides home visits to older adults who have issues getting to a physician. Main Street Physicians offers a concierge physician and for a membership fee is available for same day visits to an MD. They also offer non-concierge services for adults.” – Scott M.
Specialized
“Go to Midlands Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery for all of your orthopedic and neurosurgery needs. Can make your own appointments Online. Experienced and state of the art advanced care.” – Michael G.
“Word of mouth is how I’ve found my docs plus google reviews. Dr. Rebecca Ridenhour is amazing at SC OBGYN. Dr. Nikki Emani is a saint when it comes to my allergy treatment. Guess who didn’t get sick from the pollen this year...ME! Of course I pick 32 Dental as the best dentist :)” – Shivani P.
“I recommend Dr. Tom Stetson. He is the owner and founder of Columbia Family Chiropractic that he and his wife started in 2010. Dr. Tom focuses on functional, natural medicine.
Dr. Stetson has invested over $300,000 on advanced training in spinal correction, toxicity, exercise and nutrition from some of the largest and most respected health clinics in the country. He has worked with six World and USA Championship teams including USA Wrestling, Judo, Weightlifting and Martial Arts. As a team chiropractor he traveled to the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, England.” – dglymph3
Dentist
“Austin Meares, DMD 529 Richland St. is a great dentist.” – t.jasnowski
“As a new resident, word of mouth led me to William Crigler, M.D., of The Practice, in Columbia (downtown) as my primary physician, and Todd Elliott, DDS in West Columbia as my dentist. I googled these gentlemen to read reviews. And am extremely happy with both!” – Bonnie R.
“When I moved here 5 years ago, I signed up for my Medicare coverage with Humana insurance company. They gave me a long list of all kinds of doctors. The list was inaccurate way too often, but after several tries I got my current internal medicine guy, and he’s definitely a keeper! Listens well and asks good questions. For a dentist, I asked around my church and the senior groups I go to, and one guy’s name kept coming up.. but alas, he has retired, so I hooked up with Aspen Dental Group, which has the advantage of being in other cities I might visit, and I think that was a word of mouth referral. Plus of course they advertise a lot.” – Carolyn H.
