2005 Top Doctors
When my young son needed a urologist, I knew who to consult. When my husband needed a back specialist, I gave him a short list of trusted physicians to choose from. These choices were easy as I know my own medical community well. When my mother, who lives 100 miles away, needed evaluation for severe osteoarthritis of her left hip, I called a colleague who practices in the community where my mother lives and asked his advice about the best orthopedic surgeon for total hip arthroplasty. Based on his recommendation, I felt confident she was in the care of a physician of exceptional excellence and her surgery went well.
Almost every day and certainly every week, a patient in my care will ask my advice in seeking a physician of a particular specialty and in a particular medical community. Often my advice is to seek the advice of their primary care physician. Sometimes I offer to review the physician directory for the choices available in their health plan. And when I know the premier internist, family physician, neurologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, general surgeon or other particular specialist in question, I make the recommendation directly. Every physician does this and does it well for his or her family members, friends and patients in his or her medical community. We don't use the yellow pages for excellence.
In 2004, SDCMS members were asked to vote on other SDCMS member physicians in a process completed by paper balloting. More than 47% of physicians eligible to vote participated and those selected were recognized at a Top Doctors Gala dinner celebration and published in the October 2004 issue of the San Diego Magazine. Proceeds benefited your SDCMS Foundation.
In 2005, SDCMS members were asked to select up to 5% of all physicians — including member and non-member physicians — who practice in their specialty. To be eligible for selection as a "Top Doctor," a physician must have a valid California medical license and a valid American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or Medical Board of California (MBC) board certification in their specialty. This year the balloting process is electronic with a paper ballot option on request. We expect to improve upon last year's response rate.
We asked SDCMS members to "click on the names of physicians to whom you would take a close family member" if they needed a physician in their specialty. We also gave SDCMS members the option of writing in two additional physicians not in their specialty for recognition for their "exceptional excellence." In October 2005, San Diego Magazine will publish the second "Top Doctors" issue in which San Diego County Medical Society physicians selected their own colleagues for recognition of their "exceptional excellence."
San Diego County has a population of 2.93 million, more than 8000 licensed physicians and more than two dozen hospitals. Size matters. Our large medical community, our multiple competing and sometimes overlapping health care systems invite comparison. What better way to choose a physician of exceptional excellence than to ask an insider to whom they'd send a beloved relative or friend if they themselves could not serve as physician.
No selection process is free from bias and potential conflict of interest. Prior to 2004, the San Diego Magazine's "Best Doctors" selection process was not transparent, a commercial venture without input from the San Diego physician community. Now, in partnership, we have SDCMS member physicians selecting trusted colleagues from the universe of licensed and board certified specialty physicians in San Diego County in an open process and their names will be published in the October 2005 "Top Doctors" issue of San Diego Magazine. It's a step forward.
Those who are unhappy with our process are again invited to help us improve it. Your constructive criticism is welcome.
A selection of best doctors will be done in San Diego. Better the SDCMS publish the criteria for and validate the process than let the selections be driven by purely commercial or political forces.
Two additional facts about the new SDCMS-San Diego Magazine "Top Doctors" selection process are worth noting. First, every "Top Doctor" named has earned the respect and trust of his or her specialty colleagues. Second, not every physician of "exceptional excellence" will be named. With only 5% of physicians in each specialty selected, the omission of excellent doctors will necessarily occur. We regret these omissions.
All of us are called upon to help a patient, a friend or a family member choose the appropriate physician of exceptional excellence. Your colleagues countywide are selecting the best. SDCMS member physicians will receive a free copy of the October 2005 "Top Doctors" issue of San Diego Magazine and I trust every copy will be opened with interest.