July/August 2004

Top Docs for Kids, 2004

When your child needs a specialist, where and how do you find one?

When you choose a doctor for your child, your choice may be based on medical insurance, proximity and/or personal relationships cultivated over a lifetime. But sometimes your child’s medical needs require the services of a specialist. More than 400 pediatricians and pediatric specialists are currently practicing their craft throughout Hampton Roads.

Finding just the right children’s doctor may appear a daunting task. We hope Top Docs for Kids may make your life a little easier.

In 2003, Hampton Roads Magazine brought you Top Docs: a list of 210 Hampton Roads physicians in 41 specialties who were selected by their peers. This past May, we mailed over 1,000 surveys asking area pediatricians, pediatric specialists, family practitioners and obstetricians to select their top colleagues in primary care pediatrics and 27 pediatric subspecialties.

It wasn’t a scientific survey, but we asked each respondent, “Which pediatrician or pediatric specialist would you take your child to or recommend when referring a relative’s or friend’s child for any one of the specialties listed on the enclosed survey?” Out of 1,335 surveys mailed, 267 were returned.

The doctor or medical professional who received the most votes is listed first, followed by two runners-up. Some categories may list fewer than three entries, as our survey results required a minimum number of nominations in order to be listed. Other categories list four or more physicians, as a result of ties (indicated by an asterisk).

Please note that, although the doctors on this list are respected by their colleagues, the listing of a physician here is no guarantee of your satisfaction, nor does absence from our list suggest anything against any physician or medical professional.

If you have good relationships with the doctors your child currently sees, we urge you to maintain those relationships, whether or not the doctors are on this or any other list. When you need the services of a specialist, consult your current physician first. Remember that some doctors may not take new patients, and that many specialists require a referral from your general practitioner or family practice doctor.

SPECIAL NOTE: We regret the absence of neonatology (the care of high-risk newborns) from our list; due to an accidental oversight, this important specialty was not included as a category in the original survey.

For the rest of this story, you can order the July/August 2004 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine.