Editor's Letter July 2011

The (Top) Doctors are In!

STEVEN BILLER

Two of my doctors — including my primary care physician — retired or left the desert this year. I sought referrals from friends who have been satisfied with the care and attention their doctors provide. Ultimately, I picked up a copy of Palm Springs Life for its annual list of top doctors in the Coachella Valley. For the seventh consecutive year, the magazine has partnered with New York-based Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. to present this study.

“Our Top Doctors” offers the Coachella Valley’s only independent study of physicians — a short list you can trust for superior care. The magazine selected Castle Connolly for its integrity in its qualification process and survey methodology.

Six months ago, the physician-led team of Castle Connolly researchers began surveying more than 1,300 board-certified area physicians, with an emphasis on the three major hospitals: Desert Regional Medical Center, Eisenhower Medical Center, and John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital. Using mail and telephone surveys and electronic forms, physicians and medical leaders identified highly skilled, exceptional doctors. Their nominations triggered a stringent qualification process that is at once quantitative and qualitative. Doctors cannot pay to be selected.

We expand the reach of our Top Doctors feature through the Palm Springs Life Top Doctors Show, appearing daily throughout July (7:30-8 a.m. Monday-Friday and 10-10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday) and twice weekly from November through April 2012 (7-7:30 a.m. and 7-7:30 p.m. Wednesday) on Time Warner Cable Channel 4.

Physicians selected for this feature may also appear as regional top doctors at www.castleconnolly.com, or in one of Castle Connolly’s guides, such as America’s Top Doctors or America’s Top Doctors for Cancer.

There are many more excellent physicians than the ones in this issue, but we had to draw the line somewhere. If you’re satisfied with your physicians, stick with them. But if you need a referral for a specialist, our feature offers a good place to start. We hope you find the study informative and valuable.

Here’s to your good health!