Here are some tips that will help you search for providers:
Step 1:
Location: You may search for Physicians or Other Healthcare Professionals while on this tool.
You may enter a ZIP code or a city and state in the "Location" field (this is a required step).
Step 2:
Provider Type: Once you have entered the location, you can search for physicians by choosing
"Physician" on the Physician Compare page. If you want to search for a Healthcare professional choose
"Other Healthcare Professional" (this is a required step).
You may select the blue "Search Providers"
button to continue with your search or, alternatively, see Step 3 below on how to provide additional
optional search criteria when searching for providers.
Step 3:
You will have Optional Search Criteria allowing you to find a provider by:
-
Medicare Assignment: You have the option to search for physicians who accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment
in full or choose "Show all Medicare Providers" (this option is not available when searching
for Other Healthcare Professionals*).
-
* Note: Most of the other healthcare professionals displayed accept Medicare Assignment. This means they agree to accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full. Some Healthcare Professionals may
not accept Medicare Assignment. They are marked with an asterisk (*) in the dropdown on the Search Page.
You should contact these Healthcare Professionals to find out if they accept assignment.
- Last Name: You can enter a provider's full last name or partial spelling (at least 2 characters).
- Gender: You can select "No preference", "Female", or "Male"
Once you have chosen your "Optional Search Criteria" you may select the blue "Search Providers" button.
After you click the blue "Search Providers" button, a "Provider Results" page should be displayed. This page contains
a list of providers, their practice locations (if available), and phone numbers. For providers with more
than one location there is an "Office Locations" link that you can click to see all of the locations listed
under the provider.
The "Provider Results" page also has a "Map & Directions" link that allows you to get directions to the listed address.
There is also an "Add to My Favorites" option which allows users to add the provider to their favorites table
in MyMedicare.gov. If the user is logged into MyMedicare.gov, then they will be navigated to MyMedicare.gov
workflow pages, and if the user is not logged into MyMedicare.gov then they will be navigated to MyMedicare.gov
login page. In addition, the "Provider Results" provides you with gender information, will tell you if the
provider accepts the Medicare-approved amount (there is a clipboard with an "M" icon to indicate this),
foreign language information, and the "Group Practice Locations".
Search results are limited to providers with up to 500 practice locations and 10 providers are displayed on each page.
If you would like more detailed information on one of the providers listed, click their name. You will be taken to a
"Provider Profile" page that will provide you with the following data:
- Provider name
- Medicare Assignment information and icon (only applicable for physician searches)
- Provider Specialties
- Address and Phone Number
- Map and Directions
The following data may appear if available for the provider:
- Education (Medical School and Year of Graduation)
- Training - Residency and Internship
- Gender
- Foreign Language(s)
- Hospital Affiliation
- Physician Quality Reporting System (Physician Quality Reporting)
Step 4:
"Modify Your Results": You will be able to modify your search results if you are not
satisfied with the search results from your original search. With the Modify Your Results section you
have the option to modify:
- Location: You will be able to keep or change your ZIP code or city, state. You may also change the radius that
you are searching in (the range is between 1 and 25 miles).
- Specialty: This option allows you to search for sub-specialties under the specialty of your original search
(this option is not available with when searching for Other Healthcare Professionals).
- Medicare Assignment: This option allows you to search for physicians who accept the Medicare-approved amount as
payment in full or choose "Show all Medicare Providers" (this option is not available with
when searching for Other Healthcare Professionals).
- Last Name: you can enter the last name of a provider or a partial spelling of at least 2 characters.
- Additional Info: provides you with an option to refine your search results by Language, and Gender.
Once you have made the modifications of your choice please click the blue "Update Results" button.
