Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good resources to help me locate some quality doctors in my area? I’m looking for an orthopedic doctor for my 77-year-old mother and a new internist for me, since my doctor retired last year.
Searching Susan

Dear Susan,
Finding and researching doctors is a lot easier than it used to be. Today, there are variety of websites you can turn to that provide databases of U.S. doctors, their professional medical histories, and ratings and reviews from past patients on a number of criteria. Here are some good sites to help you get started, along with a few additional tips that can help you find the right doctors.
Searching Tips
To help you locate some good doctors in your area, a good first step is to get referrals from trusted friends, along with any doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals you know.
You also need to check your insurance provider. Call your insurer for a list of approved doctors or ask whether the doctor you’re considering is in-network.
If your mother is enrolled in original Medicare, you can use the care compare tool at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “Doctors & Clinicians.” This will let you find doctors by name, medical specialty or by geographic location that accept original Medicare. If she’s enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, call or visit the plan website to get a list of approved candidates.
Once you find a few doctors, you need to call their office to verify that they still accept your insurance, and if they are accepting new patients.
You should also consider hospital affiliation. Your choice of doctor can determine which hospital you go to, if needed, so find out where the doctor has admitting privileges. Then use some hospital ratings services like https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare (click on “Hospitals”) to see how it compares with other hospitals in the area.
Researching Doctors
After you find a few doctors you’re interested in, there are various websites you can consult, to help you evaluate them. For example, the Federation of State Medical Boards offers a tool at DocInfo.org that will let you find out doctor’s board certifications, education, states with active licenses, and whether or not a physician has been disciplined by a state medical board.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Data) is also a good source for researching doctors. For example, it will help you find out how many times a doctor did a particular procedure and what they charge for it – go to https://data.cms.gov/tools and click on “Medicare Physician & Other Practitioner Look-up Tool.” And to learn about the financial relationship that doctors have with drug and medical device companies, visit https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Some other good sites for finding and researching healthcare professionals include Healthgrades (https://www.healthgrades.com) and Vitals (https://www.vitals.com/).
Both sites provide substantial doctor’s information on education and training, hospital affiliations, board certification, awards and recognitions, professional misconduct, disciplinary action, office locations and accepted insurance plans.
They also offer 5-star ratings scales from past patients on issues such as communication and listening skills, wait time, time spent with the patient, office friendliness and more. But be aware that while physician rating websites can be helpful, they can also be misleading and unreliable.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit https://savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher celebrated its 60th anniversary on April 22. To celebrate this milestone, a new campaign dedicated to expanding and renovating the museum launched on May 1.
This project will allow the museum to rebrand as The Chisholm and refocus its mission to provide a more sustainable future while ensuring that Oklahoma’s farming and ranching history, from its early roots to contemporary issues, are shared. Farming and ranching have long played a role in shaping the lives of Oklahomans and our state. This campaign will allow the museum to combine the old with the new.
“At The Chisholm, we will strive to engage, educate, and enrich our community and those who explore it by making the unique stories of Oklahoma’s past relevant to today’s visitors,” reported Jason Harris, executive director of the museum. “We sit at the crossroads of Oklahoma’s wheat belt and along the Chisholm Trail. Our location makes us an ideal place to share exhibits on indigenous agriculture and herd management, the cattle drive era, agriculture mechanization and modernization, conservation efforts, ranch rodeo, agriculture and the environment, and more.”
The museum’s new exhibits will focus on the individuals, families, and industries that have shaped Oklahoma agribusiness through the decades.
More than $1.5 million has been allocated for The Chisholm out of $46 million in Legacy Capital Financing funds given to the Oklahoma Historical Society by the legislature to make improvements across the state to more than 20 sites. The museum plans to raise additional private funds through 2026, with work beginning at the complex this summer. This campaign will enable the museum to completely renovate the museum building and its mechanical systems, preserve historic structures in the heritage village, complete extensive preservation work on the territorial governor’s mansion, and allow for better visitor experiences and care of its collections. The design includes creating new educational and community meeting spaces, modernizing collections storage for artifact care, providing improved ADA accessibility, installing new exhibits throughout the museum complex, and more.
“It is about more than just our buildings,” Harris said. “It is about transforming the museum to appeal to many of our state’s citizens and visitors while helping the OHS meet its institutional goals. Our objective is to provide our community with an invaluable resource while stimulating tourism in the region.”
With more than three-quarters of the state as farmland, agribusiness is big business in Oklahoma. Today, Oklahoma is home to more than 77,000 farms and ranches, ranks second in the U.S. in cattle production, fourth in the number of farms, and shapes agribusiness across the nation through education training.
The Chisholm Trail Museum is located at 605 Zellers Ave. in Kingfisher. Call 405-375-5176 for more information or visit thechisholm.org.
The Chisholm is an affiliate of the Oklahoma Historical Society. For more information about the OHS, please visit https://www.okhistory.org/.

by Bobby Anderson, RN – staff writer

A new hospital is emerging on the Oklahoma City skyline.
The six-story Integris Health Heart Hospital is moving towards its June completion date and hiring is continuing.
The 209,000-square-foot building will include 64 ICU beds, multiple cardiac catheterization labs, cardiovascular operating rooms, hybrid operating rooms, electrophysiology heart labs, and convenient cardiac diagnostic testing areas. It sits on the campus of Integris Baptist.
An onsite coffee shop that features a full menu of breakfast, lunch and, craft coffee in partnership with locally owned Ends of the Earth (EOTE) Coffee Company will also be included.
“We have long been known as the only hospital in Oklahoma to offer a full spectrum of advanced cardiac care from diagnosis to heart transplantation, and the new heart hospital will allow us to continue to offer the best heart care available anywhere in the world,” says Jeffrey Sparling, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and president of Integris Health Cardiovascular Physicians. “This tower is proof of our commitment to improve the heart health of Oklahomans now and for many generations to come.”
Integris Health is actively recruiting for a variety of positions.
Kelsey Behm, BSN, RN, CCRN, MBA is the director of nursing for the Integris Heart Hospital.
She came to Integris in 2012 and worked as a nurse tech before starting her nursing career in the transplant ICU. ECMO and cardiothoracic ICU roles followed.
“This has been a long time coming. We are so excited,” she said. “We are very quickly approaching the opening date but this heart hospital and critical care tower will be part of Baptist Medical Center. What we are able to do is expand cardiac care and services that we offer.
“What’s really awesome is we will be moving all of our cardiac diagnostics, procedural and, surgery areas into this new state-of-the-art building as well as our cardiothoracic intensive care unit and have additional critical care beds and an abdominal transplant ICU.”
If it sounds like a lot of moving parts, there are.
Behm said more than a year of planning has gone into the move.
“So many different teams of people, departments, different disciplines,” Behm said. “It really is bringing a lot together. We have a team of people that on a weekly basis track progress and make sure the project is running on plan.”
Even though construction is ongoing, frontline caregivers were able to tour the facility in early February.
“They’ve been excited but to actually see it, feel it and walk through it they were all really proud and excited for the new building,” Behm said. “What we have now, the infrastructure has its challenges. Walking into this new (building) with big rooms and windows … they were just really excited. They have a lot of pride in it. It was really a great day.”
A larger facility means more staff positions. Behm said positions are available up and down the service line.
“We are actively recruiting to grow our team. Anything from pre-op, surgical admitting, PACU that’s all going to be dedicated to cardiac, we are building those teams from the ground up.”
Cath lab, CVOR, cardiothoracic ICU, abdominal transplant and, critical care teams are also being built.

For the first time in 50 years, Mercy will welcome new life and care for women in a new women’s center on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. The Love Family Women’s Center opened April 7, offering a host of new services for families and women of all ages.
Nearly half, or $43 million, of the $98 million project was funded by philanthropy, including a $10 million donation from the Tom and Judy Love family, making Mercy’s decade-long dream a reality.
The hospital’s labor and delivery and postpartum services have been at capacity for years, limiting Mercy’s ability to serve more patients. The Love Family Women’s Center has 15 large labor and delivery rooms, seven antepartum rooms, 47 postpartum rooms and three cesarean section rooms with pre- and post-operative recovery rooms. The additional space allows Mercy to increase from 4,000 to 6,000 births annually.
An obstetrics emergency department staffed by obstetricians who can address urgent pregnancy-related concerns will be open 24/7. This ER is the first of its kind in Oklahoma City.
“Pregnancy is such a vulnerable time for women. We know those sudden onset symptoms can be scary, and patients want to be seen quickly to be sure mom and baby are okay,” said Dr. Tori O’Daniel, obstetrician hospitalist and chair of obstetrics and gynecology Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “Our obstetrics ER will be there to provide immediate access for patients who are at least 20 weeks pregnant or up to six weeks postpartum. Patients are seen by obstetrician hospitalists who are physician experts in pregnancy, giving them peace of mind.”
The state’s first hospital-based low intervention birth unit is also located on the first floor of the Love Family Women’s Center. This unique space has four large labor and delivery suites, each with a queen-size bed and labor tub. Care for mom and baby will be led by a Mercy certified nurse midwife in a space designed to give families a natural, home-like experience just steps away from a higher level of care in the event of an emergency.
The center connects to the hospital via a sky bridge. This allows moms of babies needing a higher level of care to have quick, direct elevator access to Mercy’s neonatal intensive care unit on the fifth floor.
“The work we do is truly sacred, and the Love Family Women’s Center is such a special place to serve families,” said Laura Beck, Mercy’s executive director of nursing for women and infant services. “Our physicians and nurses helped design this building based on what is best for patients. Our teams have been working to develop programs and processes to best serve families and provide a safe, warm, welcoming and comfortable experience they’ll feel when they walk in the door.”
The center also houses outpatient services for women including appointments with lactation experts and a midwifery clinic where Mercy’s certified nurse midwives will provide care from pre-conception to early pregnancy, prenatal health, delivery and beyond.
An outpatient pelvic floor therapy department staffed by highly trained female physical therapists is also located on the first floor. The clinic has a therapy gym and four private consultation rooms to serve women of all ages and stages experiencing pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, chronic constipation and more.
The center, the result of the largest fundraising campaign in Mercy’s history, has been made possible by a long list of generous donors who funded nearly half of the project. In addition to the lead donation from the Love family, campaign co-chairs Judy Love and Cathy Keating led the way in raising more than $33 million additional dollars for a donation total of $43.5 million.
“This campaign was led by women, for generations of women to come and there could be no better campaign co-chairs than Judy Love and Cathy Keating,” said Lori Cummins, vice president of Mercy Health Foundation communities. “They took this project head on just three months before a worldwide pandemic brought economic uncertainty, but it didn’t stop the enormous outpouring of support from our community and beyond. We could not be more grateful.”

Like with homeowners insurance, the cost of car insurance has steadily increased over the past few years. We at the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) understand the frustration Oklahomans experience when they see higher coverage costs. Remember some factors that determine premiums, such as your age and location, cannot be changed. However, there are still things you can do to lower the amount on your insurance bill. This month, I want to share some tips and information on how you can save money on car insurance.
Shop around.
This is the biggest advice I can give anyone unhappy with their current coverage or looking for coverage. It can be time-consuming, but it can save you hundreds of dollars annually. Get multiple quotes from different insurance companies to see who can offer the coverage you need at the right price. Also, keep in mind that you do not have to do this by yourself. Talk to an independent agent who can get you multiple estimates and review coverage options with you. It’s important always to research companies and see what quality of service they provide and to see if they have an extensive history of complaints because cheaper coverage might come with higher costs in other areas.
Adjust your coverage to meet your needs.
I want to preface this by saying your coverage should meet your needs. In Oklahoma, you must by law carry bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need additional coverage. It’s better to have more coverage than to be underinsured. Go through your policy with your agent to see what you need and what you can reduce or change. If you have no claims and don’t drive much, increasing your deductible can save you hundreds a year. If your vehicle is older and your premium is a considerable portion of its value, check to see if you still need to maintain collision and comprehensive coverages, and consider moving to liability-only coverage.
Check out discounts.
Contact your insurance company to see which discounts are available to you. Small discounts can add up and make a difference with your premium. The discounts vary from company to company, but you might be eligible for discounts for safe driving, low mileage, paperless billing, or having anti-theft devices, to name a few. Some companies offer good student discounts, which are helpful if you have a teen driver on your policy, and military discounts for active duty or retired service members. Bundling your auto policy with your homeowners or renters policy can also help you save.
Maintain a good driving record.
Accidents and tickets for careless or reckless driving will cause your insurance premiums to increase, but having a clear driving history can go a long way in helping to reduce costs. In Oklahoma, insurance companies can look at the past three years of your driving record to help determine premiums. Some companies offer discounts for taking defensive driving courses. Similarly, if you’re a cautious driver, many insurance companies have telematics programs where they track your driving via a small device in your car, which can result in lower costs.
Determine if minor damage is worth filing a claim.
If you are involved in an accident with another driver, you must submit a collision report and begin the process of filing a claim. However, if you have minor damage that doesn’t involve another vehicle or driver, like scrapes or dings, it may be in your best interest not to file a claim if you can weather it from a financial standpoint. Still, we recommend getting an estimate before deciding to file a claim for minor damage because, in some cases, what might seem minor could be more extensive or expensive, especially as automakers outfit vehicles with the latest technology.
Car insurance costs have increased over the past several years, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save money. Being an informed shopper and taking an active role in your insurance needs can help reduce your costs by hundreds of dollars. Don’t forget that OID is here to help. If you have any questions about car insurance, contact us at 800-522-0071 or online at oid.ok.gov. Additionally, I recommend checking out our Insurance Basics and Auto Insurance Common Myths pages for helpful information.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) recently issued a Cease-and-Desist Order against First Premier Home Warranty Corp. for unauthorized sale of home warranty contracts in Oklahoma. Effective immediately, the company is required to halt all sales activities in the state. The OID emphasizes that any entity offering home warranty contracts to Oklahoma consumers must hold proper authorization from the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready highlighted the importance of consumer protections stating, “Oklahoma consumers rely on home warranty companies to provide essential coverage. Our licensing protocols are designed to safeguard consumers and uphold ethical standards. When companies fail to adhere to these standards, we take swift action to protect consumers.”
The OID initiated an investigation following complaints from consumers regarding the sale of unlicensed home warranty plans in Oklahoma. Consumers are urged to verify the licensing status of any company before purchasing a policy. Suspected instances of fraud should be reported to the OID at 800-522-0071.

Ernest Martin, Post Commander

Starting his 13th year as Post Commander.

Story by Marise Boehs, Staff Writer

American Legion Post 88, Norman, OK had a very successful year and is on a positive path to replicate this same pattern in 2024.
Part of the mission in 2023 was to assist all veterans and their surviving spouses with the initiation of their individual claims and follow-up processing. During this same time, Post 88 received two grants that supported their community outreach program and helped rehabilitate the vintage one-hundred year old building. Also during this time, a strong online presence for the veteran community was established on multiple social media platforms.
Starting his 13th year as Post Commander, retired US Army veteran Ernest Martin said, “It is an honor to serve our veteran community with the strength of six Veteran Service Officers and two Post Service Officers (in training) who volunteer their time at our post have assisted over 600 veterans in getting their VA claim process started.”
Of those claims, 250 have been awarded a financial payment which generated $6,067,329 in 2023. This is an increase from 2022 when VSOs reported $2,890,129 in awarded claims. Additionally, there have been 37 surviving spouses who have received appropriate counseling and benefits information from our post.
Not every claim is the same, and it is very important to identify the possibilities when speaking to a veteran who has had very little success with other veteran service officer locations.
“Our Service Officers, since March 1st 2020, have brought into Cleveland County and the surrounding areas just shy of $12.5 million dollars in benefits,” said Post Commander Ernest Martin. “That is a huge amount of income into our community. It helps to keep Veterans in their home and not on the street.”
Post 88 staff stand by the importance of identifying the successful results that can be achieved if given an opportunity to help serve each veteran in our community, surrounding area and abroad.
“We pride ourselves on our outstanding volunteer force of Veteran Service Officers who dedicate their service to Post 88,” Martin said.
These Veteran Service Officers are all volunteers and lead by VA-accredited Mr. Carl Ellison a resident of Purcell, OK who has been serving Post 88 for eight (8) years. Mr. Ellison’s responsibility is to ensure that all veterans and their family members receive appropriate representation with their VA benefit claim. Mr. Ellison has said, “There is never a fee to file a claim or help guide and consult in filing an initial application for VA benefits and if someone is charging you a fee — it’s illegal.”
Post 88 was first chartered in 1919. The current building was built by WPA workers in 1935-36. It has survived many serious situations, both natural and synthetic.
In November 2022, Post 88 was awarded $330,000 from the Covid 19 Relief grant program which facilitated much needed building repairs which began in 2023.
The inside of the facility received a “facelift” to include a new generator, flooring, lighting, cubicle offices with computer monitors and security doors.
Post 88 is open EVERY MONDAY from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. On the third Monday of the month, they are open for appointments only, please call Carl Ellison at (405) 823-0910. If these hours do not fit your schedule, please call us at the number above to make other arrangements.
Monthly membership meetings are held on the third Monday of each month and all new members and guests are welcome.. Meetings begin at 7pm, but guests are encouraged to arrive early to socialize and meet the Post Officers.
If you or a friend would like to help with their mission to support local Veterans, please reach out to (405) 366-7575
Post 88 Commander Ernest Martin is preparing a sponsorship campaign calling on the local business community and surrounding area to help ensure this American Legion Post continues to be a resource in times of need.
“It is my responsibility to prepare this Post to thrive for the next one hundred years,” he explained. “I hope that you will consider helping us to be here and prepare to meet all veteran needs as well as any future Natural Disasters/Pandemic that comes this way. I what this Post be a beacon in the community, a haven when in time of need, a place where hope is found and procured.”

Story and photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Nerve Renewal continues to spread its footprint across Oklahoma with a new location in Edmond, located at 3520 South Boulevard, Suite 100.
Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Mark Cope, community relations liaison for Nerve Renewal, said their Edmond location was added to address a growing metro patient base.
“We have five locations now,” he said. “We’ve got one in northwest Oklahoma City, southwest, Oklahoma City, Norman and Midwest City, and now Edmond. Shawnee is coming online hopefully by the end of next month, Broken Arrow is soon to follow with plans also in Stillwater, and Bartlesville. People with neuropathy are in pain a lot of the time and they don’t want to travel very far. We’re really trying to get within 20-30 minutes of everyone we can.”
Glenn Cope, co-founder and Vice-President of Nerve Renewal said the Edmond location opened last December, and has seen a steady growth of patients.
“I think they’re almost at full capacity already after only being open for four months,” he said. “A lot of these people are in pain, a few of them are driving themselves and they just don’t have the tolerance for long trips.”
Nerve Renewal’s mission is to help Oklahomans renew their quality of life through innovative nerve pain treatments that provide safe and effective relief so that their patients reclaim their joy, mobility, and freedom.
An estimated 20 million Americans are living with chronic pain or numbness due to neuropathy and nerve damage.
Nerve Renewal treatments are FDA-cleared and use a drug-free treatment which involves electrical stimulation combined with a vitamin B-12 complex nutrient blend that helps reduce neuropathy-related nerve pain and does not require recovery time after treatment.
80 percent of patients experience a long-term reduction in pain without surgery or medication through the use of proven electrical stimulation treatments.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held March 18 at the Edmond location, and was attended by members of the Edmond Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Darrell Davis, and others.
During that ceremony, Jimmy Steele, co-founder and Director of Patient Growth at Nerve Renewal, told attendees the types of patients Nerve Renewal treats.
“Does anybody know anybody that has diabetes? Does anybody know anybody that’s undergone chemotherapy treatment,” Steele asked attendees. “That’s what we typically help. When you are going through those things, you’re experiencing nerve pain, incredible amounts of pain.”
Steele said for most people experiencing that pain, they think medications are their only option.
“For most people, the only solution that they know for that is a medication like Gabapentin or Lyrica,” he said. “And if you’ve ever had it, if you know anybody that’s been on it that’s kind of experiencing life in a fog, it’s not exactly the best experience. But if you’re in pain, there are very few other options. What makes us different is that we are that other option. There is no medication, there are no surgical implants. It’s a treatment and relief from pain. And for patients who are experiencing a lot of numbness as well in their hands and their feet, they get to regain that feeling. That’s our big thing. That’s who we serve.”
Latrica Dorsey, Supervisory Nurse Practitioner, told attendees that Nerve Renewal does more than just improve a patient’s quality of life.
“The big thing with our clinics is more just improving the quality of life of people. We have a lot of patients that come in here just for chronic pain, or a lot of nerve damage, but it can be from anything,” she said. “I mean, our goal is to make sure that their quality of life is improving. And, over time when they come to these treatments, we hear stories, oh, I can walk better. Oh, I can stand up longer. These are things that we’re looking for in the community. And we’re hoping that we can give more people to come in and experience what we’re actually giving to the patients that come here so they can understand that. You don’t have to be in pain, you don’t have to have this medication.”
Mayor Darrell Davis said Edmond welcomes Nerve Renewal to town.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I’m glad you’re bringing this option to our community. I’m glad you’re here. You’re on one of the busiest streets (in Edmond), so the (Edmond) Chamber’s going to do a great job at getting your message out.

For more information about the Edmond location call (405) 754-4005 or visit https://nerverenewalnow.com/neuropathy-clinics/edmond.