When you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition, it’s important to find the best possible heart doctor near you. This can be an overwhelming process, and it’s normal to feel frustrated. So to help you make the decision easier, let’s discuss a few tips that can help you find the right heart doctor for your situation.

Consider your primary care physician’s recommendation
One of the easiest places to start looking for a heart doctor is your primary care physician. Since they’re most likely the one who recommended seeing a cardiologist in the first place, they’re sure to have some helpful recommendations for you. Your doctor has probably interacted with many cardiovascular programs over the years and they can determine if any of them would be a good fit for your specific situation.

Check their credentials
While any heart doctor you meet with should obviously have their standard medical credentials, cardiologists are also often certified in subspecialties. These subspecialties may be something you want to consider depending on your specific condition. Along with these subspecialties, it’s important to consider what kind of experience the doctor has. If you require a particular procedure, you should ensure the doctor you choose has not only plenty of experience, but a high success rate with the procedure.

Evaluate your needs
Heart conditions are something that may require extended care. Because of this, you should ensure you’re comfortable talking with your heart doctor and that you feel like you’ll receive the best care possible at the cardiovascular center. Communication is key when discussing your heart services. If you meet with a potential doctor and they rush through your questions without showing much interest, they’re probably not a good choice. You should always be kept up-to-date with everything regarding your care, so it’s important to find a doctor who is as invested in your heart health as you are.

Find a local cardiovascular center
If possible, try to pick a local cardiovascular center. While it may be tempting to pick a well-known center hours away, this can prove to be a problem later on when you have to continuously go in for routine care. You don’t want the distance you have to travel to take even more of a toll on your health. Oftentimes, small, local practices or hospitals are able to not only provide the same quality of service, but allow for a more personal experience.

Where and who you choose to provide your heart care is an important decision. Luckily, like how the number of people to survive a cancer diagnosis is predicted to rise to about 19 million by 2024, heart services are always getting better and more efficient. With today’s technology and knowledge, the heart doctor you choose should be able to provide you outstanding care.