Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
Searching for the Right Doctor: Trusted Online Resources
For Atrial Fibrillation patients, independent, unbiased assessment of medical care is more important today than ever. Don’t be fooled! Anyone can draw up a “best of” referral list, and many organizations do.
Drug companies favor those doctors who are high prescribers of their drugs. Many health insurance companies pay more attention to what a physician’s fees are rather than the quality of their care. Also. beware, doctors can pay publications/websites recommending healthcare providers to get their names mentioned or sorted to the top of your search results.
Consumer Ratings of Doctors May be Just as Flawed
Consumer Ratings of Doctors May be Just as FlawedSome people believe that online patient ratings are the best source of information on doctors.
Unfortunately, that is a misguided assumption. Patients may be able to rate a doctor’s “bedside manner,” but they know little about the complexity of medical care.
The Search for the Right Cardiac Electrophysiologist
Since Atrial Fibrillation is an electrical problem, you should see a Cardiac Electrophysiologist (EP)—a cardiologist who specializes in the electrical activity of the heart and in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders.
Note: If considering catheter ablation, know that not all EPs perform ablations. For example; some focus on pacing/pacemakers, or clinical research, etc.
One Site We Trust: Castle Connolly Top Doctors
When you browse our curated A-Fib.com Directory of Doctors and Medical Centers, you will find we highlight those doctors that have received special recognition as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor.
Unlike other ‘find a doctor services’, Castle Connolly only features the top 7% of doctors in the U.S. No one can pay to be a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Each provider has been hand selected.
These Top Doctors are first peer-nominated by surveying tens of thousands of practicing clinicians across the U.S. Then the research team, guided by the Castle Connolly Advisory Board, screens each provider and confirms whether each meets Castle Connolly standards. (Continue reading to learn about the screening criteria.) The results are truly the country’s Top Doctors. (Unfortunately, this service only covers U.S. doctors.)
Searching Castle Connolly: Also Top Rated Hospitals, Practices and Other Categories
You begin by entering your location, then selecting a medical specialty. For Atrial Fibrillation patients that would be ‘cardiac electrophysiology’. Your search can include distance and offerings such as online booking and telemedicine offerings.
Top Hospitals and Practices are also listed (as well as Top Dentists). You can also sort by who accepts your medical insurance.
There are also a number of distinctions available to help narrow your search for the right provider for you. Among other distinctions, listings include top Black Doctors, Exceptional Women in Medicine, Top AAPI Doctors, Top LGBTQ+ Doctors, and Top Hispanic and Latino Doctors.
Another Resource: Heart Rhythm Society’s Find a Specialist
This site is the professional organization for cardiologists. It is a membership directory.
Use their ‘Find a Specialist” search feature to select Primary Specialty (Clinical Electrophysiology), then Clinical Expertise (Atrial Fibrillation), and by location.
You can also sort for members who are ‘Fellows of the Heart Rhythm Society’ (FHRS), a designation characterized by advanced training, certification and/or prominence in research.
Look for additional information such as which medical insurance they accept.
The information in the directory is maintained by individual physicians.
For Guidance, See Our Page ‘Finding the Right Doctor for You’
Choosing your doctor is an important step in finding your A-Fib cure. For guidance, see our page: Finding the Right Doctor for You.
We’ll walk you through all the important steps. How to start your search, how to find the needed information, and how to organize your research information.
We then take you through how to set up consulting appointments, how to take notes during your office visit, and then later how to interpret the doctor’s answers, i.e., what it all means. The result? A short list of specific, qualified doctors for your type of A-Fib and your treatment goals.
If you need additional support, see our curated lists of Cardiac Electrophysiologists who treat Atrial Fibrillation patients: A-Fib.com Directory of Doctors and Medical Centers.
At A-Fib.com, we accept no fee, benefit or value of any kind to be listed in our curated Directory of Doctors and Medical Centers. A-Fib.com is not affiliated with any practice, medical center or physician.
Who can you trust? Who is posting this A-Fib info? A drug company? A doctor or medical practice? A device manufacturer?
