Choosing a Doctor for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Medically Reviewed by Minesh Khatri, MD on March 21, 2023
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
2 min read

If you have an inflammatory bowel disease, it's not always obvious which doctor to see for treatment. Gastrointestinal doctors are not all alike. They differ in their training and experience.

Clearly, the doctor that you choose will have a direct impact on how well you do -- especially when you need treatment for a complex gastrointestinal condition. There are a number of things to consider when deciding which doctor to seek care from. Consider the following:

  • The doctor's qualifications. (For example, the doctor's training, credentials, and experience; do they participate in research and education? What range of services do they offer?)
  • Location of office
  • Patient satisfaction
  • Outcome. (How well patients have done after being under their care.)

When looking into a hospital, consider:

  • Hospital's location.
  • How many surgeries or procedures the hospital provides; if the hospital performs a high number of surgeries or procedures you may need, it is probably a good choice.
  • Hospital's death rate.
  • Experience and training of its surgeons.

Measuring quality in ways that are useful to people is a relatively new idea in health care and it may not be easy to get the information you need to make a quality decision. But the willingness of providers to give you as much information as possible is a good sign. It shows that they are dedicated to maintaining and improving their quality and responsiveness to patients, and that they are confident in their capabilities.

If you or a loved one needs treatment for a gastrointestinal disease, ask your primary care doctor about seeing a specialist in gastroenterology or colorectal surgery. This specialist should have experience in the diagnosis and full range of treatments for your specific condition. Ask for a referral to a hospital with a multidisciplinary treatment team.

Also, get the names of several doctors and hospitals that offer effective treatments as well as clinical trials that compare current drugs with new drugs, which may provide even better results.