On Finding a Good Primary Care Doctor

When it comes to finding the right doctor, there is a lot to consider. It’s more than just choosing someone with the right credentials—it's about selecting a partner for your health, a trusted advisor who will stand by you through some of life’s most important moments. In medicine, there’s a well-known trio of attributes long revered among clinicians: availability, affability, and ability. These qualities, passed down to bright-eyed students through medical school lore, serve as the highest ideal doctors come to expect of themselves when they enter an exam room and interact with a patient.

Unfortunately, the complex, churning machinery of the healthcare system often forces young doctors graduating into it to compromise these aspirations. But it’s precisely because of what the practice of medicine has devolved into nowadays—and the risk it openly poses to patient safety—that we should hold fast to a higher standard, rather than settle for clearing a lower bar. To fill that gap, we need a new caliber of physician with a broader skillset and expanded set of principles, empowered to do their best work and bridge the chasms healthcare currently creates for patients.

To that end, I’ve heard many physicians suggest a fourth indispensable trait beyond the above three A’s: advocacy. And in my own practice, I’d argue for a fifth quality, equally crucial—accountability. Together, these five pillars serve as a guide to understanding what really matters when selecting a primary care doctor.

Let’s explore each in turn.

Availability

We’ll start with what is often overlooked: availability. In an age where medical appointments can feel like a scarce resource, this might seem self-evident. But it’s more than your doctor just showing up for scheduled check-ups. True availability means being there for the in-between moments—the times when something unexpected happens, and you need help in short order.

When you're dealing with an acute illness, peace of mind comes from knowing that you can reach your doctor directly. We’ve build our entire practice around this. Our patients have their doctor’s private email and phone number for same- and next-day care. There’s no waiting on a “nurse line” and no “dial 6” call tree for an appointment. The idea is simple: when something’s wrong, I want to hear what’s going on so we can solve it together.

Availability also means being accessible in those quieter points between visits Maybe it’s reviewing blood pressure logs you’ve emailed me. Or checking in via text after an infection to ensure it’s healing as expected.  It's these small, non-urgent moments that permit us to have a more nuanced understanding of your health beyond the confines of an office visit, helping to foster a better, more meaningful relationship over the years.

Then of course there’s the availability that comes with a doctor and patient being unhurried in our sit-down appointments—the deep, hour-long conversations that just can't happen in a 10-minute slot. When you’re not rushed, concerns get addressed holistically, rather than reactively.  Doctors and patients can both relate: there is a distinct joy that comes with being able to connect with another human being. For doctors coming out of the System, there is also a sense of immense pride in finally having the time to do right by patients and help them on their journey.

Affability

It sounds deceptively simple, doesn’t it? But being likable—being someone patients actually enjoy seeing—is about more than just having a good bedside manner. It's about connection. To that point, one of my favorite quotes about humanity in medicine, which we have pinned on the wall of our practice, is the adage by Dr. Francis Peabody: “The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.”

The old model of paternalistic medicine, by contrast, where doctors issued commands and patients followed unquestioningly, is long gone. Today, trust is the cornerstone of any meaningful doctor-patient relationship, and that trust can only be built when you feel comfortable with your physician.

Appointments shouldn’t feel like something you dread. In fact, they should be the opposite: a chance to feel heard, understood, and respected. When you enjoy seeing your doctor, the conversations deepen, and more meaningful insights emerge. You’re more willing to share your concerns, and we’re better equipped to help.

There’s another layer to affability that doesn’t get enough credit—what I call the “country doc advantage.” When you’ve known a patient for years, you have a more detailed understanding of their health that can’t be acquired any other way.  That context lets us know sooner when something is amiss, and then extends to any specialist, surgeon, or emergency physician you ever need when we give them a call on your behalf.  It’s seems commonsensical that a physician who knows you is better able to care for you, but a subtlety here is that they can also ensure behind the scenes that other doctors care for you better, too.

Ability

Ability, of course, is non-negotiable. But there’s more to it than simply knowing the textbook answers. Medicine evolves, and what worked a decade ago might not be the best treatment today.

At its heart, ability is about the pursuit of excellence. Doctors, like athletes, should be in a constant state of review and improvement. Whether it’s studying the latest research on cholesterol management or attending a conference on emerging hormonal therapy, a doctor’s abilities must evolve with the times and bring new insights from the lecture hall into the exam room.

But there’s more here than just keeping up with medical journals (though this certainly is important).  In a greater sense, ability also means having the time to adequately reflect. It’s the quiet moments when a doctor can sit (unrushed) with a cup of tea, think critically about a complex case, or discuss a nuanced medical question with colleagues. It’s this combination of curiosity, continual learning, and reflective practice that keeps doctors at their best.

Advocacy

In today’s healthcare system, it’s not enough for your doctor to simply diagnose and treat. They must also advocate for you. This can mean cutting through layers of bureaucracy, ensuring referrals get to the right specialists, and making sure your care doesn’t slip through the cracks.

Advocacy means being your guide through the medical labyrinth. A great doctor orchestrates your entire care team—whether you're dealing with a hospital stay or navigating specialist referrals. They should be ensuring everyone is on the same page and nothing is missed.

A primary care doctor should be a quarterback, leading the charge for your well-being. If you’re in the ER, they’re on the phone explaining to the ER doctor exactly what’s going on, giving context to ensure the emergency team makes the best decisions possible, with safe follow up on the other end of the hospital doors.

Accountability

Which brings us to the final quality: accountability. In an ideal world, everything would go according to plan. But this is healthcare, where plans can unravel quickly. If advocacy is ensuring things go right, accountability is stepping up when things go wrong.  

Underpinning this entire ethos is a commitment to service. This often means owning entire process; if a specialist office falls short, your doctor steps in. If an imaging facility gives pushback, the doctor presses forward. Accountability means going through that 300-page medical file from years ago to find the one critical line that could change everything. It means being relentless and refusing to let the System continue to fail you.  

Final Thoughts

Finding the right doctor isn’t just about who has the right credentials or the most accolades on their wall. It’s about choosing someone who lives by an elevated set of principles that prioritize your health and well-being. These five qualities—availability, affability, ability, advocacy, and accountability—aren’t just words on a Powerpoint slide we teach to medical students. They represent the prime directive of the practice—a commitment to a better standard of care.

Above and beyond is, without a doubt, a high bar to clear, but especially given the stakes, it’s the kind of care you should expect in a primary care doctor.