A few days ago, while speaking with a prospective recruit over the phone, he mentioned that he would have to forgo a previous arrangement because he had missed one too many doctor’s appointments and if he didn’t go to his next one his physician was going to fire him. You heard me correctly, he was being fired by his physician. I told him to go right ahead, to feel better, and contact me when he knew he would be available.

What sounds like an isolated instance of an irate doctor actually occurs pretty frequently across the country. While the majority of patient-doctor relationships end for relatively non-descript reasons, such as moving, physicians will occasionally decide to drop a patient or two. Whether it’s because of missed appointments, failure to pay, or simply the fact that physicians could use a little time to tend to themselves, it happens.

Since it’s a tad bit difficult to compile a list of reasons physicians drop their patients, I’ve compiled a check list for finding the right physician.

Treat the patient-physician relationship like an intimate relationship.

There are a surprising amount of similarities between the relationship between patients and physicians and that of two lovebirds. Both involve loads of trust, vulnerability, and most obviously, seeing your most private body parts. If you’ve been together for a long time, it’s always difficult to end the relationship, because just like in an intimate relationship, the ideal result is a life-long partnership. Finding new partners and finding new physicians? Both take a little time and a whole lot of baby steps.

Never forget that this is a life-long relationship you are kindling. If you feel it in your gut that they are not the right one for you, keep looking, there are plenty of physicians out there. There’s no need to rush into the wrong relationship.

Meet the family

Never forget that you’re not just looking for physicians. You’re looking for physicians with a staff that will treat you the way you deserve. You may find a physician that seems amazing, but their receptionist is lethargic, their assistants are rude, and the nurse is just plain out mean. Do you really want to deal with them every time you’re at the physician’s? What if you’re feeling desperately ill and need to be squeezed into the weekend schedule at the last minute? Will the receptionist give you the cold shoulder? Just as a day with the in-laws can ruin your weekend, the same applies for your doctor’s staff.

Go with your gut.

Searching for objective information about physicians is highly recommended. Are they recommended by other physicians? Do they specialize in a field that you have a family history of problems in? Does your physician have any disciplinary or malpractice cases against him? These are all important questions, but never forget that it’s perfectly okay to reject physicians simply because there is something about them that makes you feel uneasy.