Canvas friends and co-workers, but understand that your needs will be different from theirs. "We spend more time picking out a bottle of wine for dinner than picking a doctor," says Dr. John Connolly, president and CEO of Castle-Connolly Medical. "If you have a chronic disease, your first step should be to identify hospitals accustomed to treating your condition. Say I had heart disease. I would look for a hospital with a full range of cardiac care. Then call that hospital's doctor referral line for recommendations."

Choices may seem simpler for employees in managed care plans, but never take for granted that someone on that plan is available. "You know the books that insurance companies give you listing their participating doctors?" asks Olson. "It's almost always outdated-usually by three years. I've seen doctors who are deceased and still on them." Before you choose a doctor, check your carrier's Web site, which is updated regularly, or call its toll-free number and ask for an updated list. Then, says Olson, "Call the doctor and make sure they're in-network."

If you're still unsure, ask a nurse for a recommendation. "That's who I call," says Sarasota Memorial spokesman Mike Vizvary. "The nurses know everything." If you're looking for a surgeon, ask an operating nurse. If you want a pediatrician, call a pediatrics nurse. You can reach one by calling the chief of nursing at any area hospital.

When you've narrowed your list of possibilities to two or three doctors, start researching their credentials. Few people would trust a facelift to a podiatrist, but since anyone with a medical degree may perform plastic surgery, make sure the doctor you're seeing is board certified in the specialty for which you are seeking treatment. You can do this by checking the American Board of Medical Specialties at www.abms.org. The Internet can also help verify that a doctor's license is up to date. On the Florida Department of Health's Web site (ww2.doh.state.fl.us/irm00praes/praslist.asp), you even see whether a practitioner has faced disciplinary measures. Click on the Vital Healthcare Information button at Castle Connolly's Web site (www.castleconnolly.com), and you can check doctor disciplinary information in any state.

Ask if your doctor has hospital privileges. Vizvary says 700 doctors have privileges to practice at Sarasota Memorial (most also have privileges at nearby Doctors Hospital). If you're looking for a plastic surgeon, make sure he or she operates in the hospital or a registered ambulatory center. If not, and your rhinoplasty goes awry, your only option for immediate medical attention will be an emergency room.

Consider whether your doctor has a solo practice or belongs to a group. Although some patients prefer the focused attention of a single practitioner, groups present some advantages. "The business side is getting tougher," says Vizvary. With the blitz of paperwork created by Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance requirements, he says, "You need to be able to take that business and spread it out over four doctors." As in most other areas of the country, private cardiologists, enterologists and plastic surgeons here are beginning to form groups that can provide 24/7 service to patients-and a life for the doctors.

Finally, interview the doctors on your short list to make sure you can develop a positive relationship with them. If the doctor seems uninterested or impatient with answering your questions, or if the staff appears hostile or overworked, move on. "If you are not comfortable asking your doctor a question, it's not a good fit," says Olson.

But a friendly personality isn't everything. "It depends on what you want them for," says Sarasota Memorial's chief nursing officer Jan Mauck. If you've just been diagnosed with liver cancer, you're more likely to be satisfied with a highly skilled curmudgeon than if he or she were treating an ingrown toenail. "Often the person who's most skilled does not have the greatest bedside manner," Mauck says.

Fortunately, says Olson, the physicians coming out of school today have a better understanding of customer service. She informs new doctors at Sarasota Memorial that they're expected to say: "Please, thank you, and I'm sorry," and that doctors who know how to look patients in the eye and give them an encouraging pat on the shoulder when they leave will stand out from the crowd. "I tell all the new physicians here, 'Be nice,'" she says. "We already expect you to be good.'"