Consumers Go Online

To Find A Doctor

NEW HAVEN — A recent study published in USA Today estimates that by the end of the year 2000, 33.5 million Americans will be searching the Internet to find a physician as well as general health information. With over 20,000 Internet health care companies and web sites available, the search can be very overwhelming.

To make it easier for consumers to find a physician who best meets their needs, the Yale-New Haven Hospital web site, www.ynhh.org, offers a free online referral service to help consumers select a primary care physician or specialist. The online referral service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to enable online consumers to search at their own convenience. The service returns the names of physicians based on criteria the consumer specifies, such as specialty, location, insurance participation, gender, and language spoken.

“This is a great service… I was able to get help finding a doctor immediately,” commented one recent user. In fact, 77 percent of those completing a survey after using the online referral service indicate that it helped them in their search for a physician.

Physician Referral Online offers information on over 900 physicians in New Haven and surrounding communities who have privileges at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Consumers may also request an appointment with a physician through the web site. Appointments and other inquiries submitted by e-mail from the site are handled by trained referral coordinators.

To begin using Physician Referral Online, visit Yale-New Haven Hospital’s web site at www.ynhh/org/findphys.html.