How to Find All Doctors in a Region

Various commercial sites offer doctor directories. Because they are optional, you won't get a full listing. You will find doctors with the marketing savvy to include their name in a listing. To quickly find a comprehensive list of doctors in a region, contact professional organizations such as the American Medical Association. Also, you can find doctors available to practice through a state licensing board.

Instructions

Within the U.S.

• 1

  Check your insurance directory. If you are covered by insurance and are looking for a doctor to visit, whether internationally or stateside, you will only need to find doctors who accept your insurance. You should have received a paper directory when you signed up for the plan, but an online directory will be more up-to-date.

• 2

  Check the American Medical Association doctor finder. The American Medical Association is a respected professional organization of doctors. Its directory lists more than 800,000 members. If a doctor is not a member of the American Medical Association he won't be in the directory.

• 3

  Contact your state licensing board. If the region you are looking for encompasses several states, you will need to contact the licensing board for each state. You will likely be able to find an online directory, but if you don't have Internet access, try to obtain a copy of a printed directory. For example, in North Carolina, you can obtain a monthly licensee report for $25.

Outside the U.S.

• 4

  Research the region you are visiting. Some countries like the United Kingdom have a national health care system. In that case, you can find a doctor through a single source. If you visit a country without a centralized system, your search is more complicated.

• 5

  Consider travel insurance. Travel insurance provides a guide for medical assistance in a country where you may not be familiar.

• 6

  Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. The organization provides a directory as well as resources to English speakers looking for reliable health care outside of the United States.