A poor bedside manner

If your doctor is rude, brusque, insensitive or condescending, find another one. Granted, anyone can have a bad day, but if you find a consistently unsympathetic attitude, it probably won't improve. Besides being downright rude, disrespectful or arrogant behavior may make you hesitant to freely discuss your concerns.

Not answering your questions

Your doctor may not always be able to give you an immediate diagnosis, but you should expect answers to your questions and a discussion about all tests and treatment options.

Difficulty making appointments

No matter how good your doctor is or how much you like him or her, if you can't get an appointment, you can't get care.

Unreturned phone calls

Office staff should call you back about insurance or scheduling questions. If they don't, raise the issue with your doctor at your next appointment. And your doctor should promptly respond to medical concerns. If problems continue, consider leaving.

Keeping you waiting

Sometimes waiting-room backups can't be helped. Doctors have to squeeze in urgent patients, arrange for hospitalizations, or run to the emergency room. But if you routinely have to wait more than an hour for a scheduled appointment, wreaking havoc with your own schedule, you may want to seek out a practice with better time-management skills.

A rude office staff

Office staff members play an important part in your care. They answer the phone, schedule your appointments, take messages, work on your referrals and prior authorizations, call in medications, and handle billing problems. If they are ill-mannered or unhelpful—and continue to be so after you've discussed the matter with your physician—it may not matter how much you like him or her.

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.