Tips for Using the Provider and Facility Directory

Define Your Search: First Page

Select a tab
At the page top, you can choose or change your search — for a person or place — by clicking on the appropriate green tab.

Use the Provider tab to look up doctors and other health care providers such as physical therapists and midwives.

The rest of the tabs help you find health care facilities. The last tab, Other, offers additional choices including laboratory, radiology, and skilled nursing center locations.

What's your health plan provider network?
In order to give you a list of doctors or facilities covered under your health plan, we need to know the provider network for your plan.

Not sure which provider network to select?

• If you're already a Group Health member, check your member ID card, your benefits summary, or your coverage agreement. Or contact Customer Service.
• Is your health plan offered through your employer? Your enrollment materials should indicate which plans and networks your employer is offering. You can check with your employer's human resources or benefits departments if you have questions.
• For individual and family plans (non-employer plans), there are several possible networks. For Welcome plans, select the Group Health network. For Balance and HSA (Health Savings Account) plans, select Alliant Plus network.
• For Medicare Advantage plans, choose Clear Care HMO or Clear Care PPO.

It is important to select the correct provider network. If you don't, you may incorrectly think certain doctors or facilities are covered by your plan when they may not be.

Select your starting location
By filling in your starting location — such as your home or office — the search results will offer providers and facilities that are convenient for you. Distance refers to how far you are willing to travel. The larger your search area, the more providers or facilities you will see in your search results.

Quick Search — skip the other fields
If you know the name of the doctor or facility you are looking for, use Quick Search in the right column. You won't need to fill in any other fields on the first page.

Search Results: Second Page

You can redefine and sort your search results.

Narrow your search results
In the left column, make your search more specific by selecting appropriate boxes. For example, if you're looking for a doctor, you may want to select a specialty, or perhaps gender to see only male or female doctors. The number beside your selection tells you how many matches you have in your current list.

As soon as you select a box, your search list is instantly updated. You don't need to resubmit the page.

If you want to change or remove a selection, click on that option's top level box again, such as gender. The minus sign changes to a plus sign, which means you can start over with that option and make a different selection. Or use the "Revise search" link at the top of the left column.

Sort your results
You can sort your list in different ways. Your options are shown in the dark color bar at the top of the right column. For example, if you're looking for a provider but only remember that her name starts with W, you can click on "Sort by: Name" to change the list order from A-Z to Z-A. Now the names starting with W are closer to the top of the list.

Compare provider profiles
When looking up providers, you can compare the profiles of up to 3 doctors or other providers at a time. Select the box next to a provider's name in your list of providers. After you have chosen 2 or 3 persons, click the Compare button that will then display at the top and the bottom of the page. You'll see the providers' profiles side-by-side.

Want to change the providers you are comparing? Just click "Back to results" at the top or bottom of the page. Then select boxes for other providers and repeat.

Starting Over

New search
You can completely start over rather than just refine the search list you have. Go to the "New search" link at the top or bottom of your search list page. This takes you back to the first page; all the fields are empty and you start from scratch.

Revise search
With this link, your choices are still filled in the answer fields when you go back to the first page. You can just change one or two fields without having to start over.

This link is at the top and bottom of the search list page, next to the New Search link.

Choosing or Changing Your Personal Physician

In order to choose or change your personal physician online, you must register with MyGroupHealth.

You won't see the "choose" links in the Provider Directory until you have completed the online registration process and are logged in. You don't need to register and log in to just look up providers and facilities.

Before you register, you can still select a personal physician by calling Customer Service, or by going ahead and making an appointment with that provider by calling his or her clinic.

To choose a provider online after your register:

• Log in to MyGroupHealth for Members and go to the Provider Directory. Look for a doctor you want to choose as your personal physician.
• Click on the name of the doctor you want to select. This opens the provider's profile page.
• On the profile page, you will see the link "Make this doctor my personal physician" directly under the provider's name. (You don't see this link unless you are logged in.) Click on that link.
• Fill out the online form and click Send.
• You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your selection within a few business days.

When you register, you won't see all your personal online services — such as online appointments and e-mailing your Group Health doctor — until you have selected a personal physician at a Group Health Medical Centers clinic.

Customer Service

If you cannot find what you are looking for in the Provider and Facilities Directory, contact Customer Service. Customer Service also can enter your choice of personal physician or change your choice for you.