PRESS-TELEGRAM: FINDING A DOCTOR'S CHOICE DOCTOR

GUIDE: AMA MEMBERS ASKED TO LIST PHYSICIANS THEY WOULD PICK TO TREAT THEIR OWN FAMILIES.

Wednesday, September 29, 1999
Section: LOCAL NEWS
Edition: AM
Page: A7
By Tracy Manzer, Staff writer

Finding a doctor you feel you can trust can be more daunting than some medical procedures.

So the Washington, D.C.-based Center for the Study of Services asked some 260,000 American Medical Association members from across the country what doctors they would send their loved ones to if they fell ill. AMA doctors make up about two-thirds of all the physicians in the United States.

The results can be found in the ``Guide to Top Doctors,'' a guidebook available for $19.95 by calling (800) 213-7283. It is not available in stores, but is expected to be available later in local libraries.

Robert Krughoff, president of the nonprofit group, said the guide is designed to help consumers narrow the search for a physician. The center urges people to research all doctors and check their qualifications before becoming patients, whether or not they made the book's lists.

Several in the medical field have applauded the center's efforts to reduce confusion, but some say the survey used to create the list may have been flawed. Only about 20,000 of the physicians polled nationwide returned the questionnaire.

Several local doctors made the book's list for the Greater Los Angeles Area, which encompasses L.A. and Orange counties.

The following is a select list of the top-ranked physicians in the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area, based on the number of mentions by other doctors. Those who drew the most, second-most and third-most mentions are shown. In many cases, several doctors received the same number of mentions, and they are shown as tied.

Also shown are all the remaining doctors in the greater Long Beach area who made the guide's lists. Some doctors who practice locally but have their main offices outside the Greater Long Beach area may not be included in the list.

* Plastic surgery:

Other local doctors: James Black, San Pedro and Torrance; Donn Hickman, L.B.; Pearlman Hicks, L.B.; Jed Horowitz, Huntington Beach.