How to find a Doctor or Dentist on our Network
Our network of doctors and dentists is very large and nationwide. Here's how to find a network provider near you.
Your Episodic Health Insurance plan makes use of a network of doctors and dentists for the Day-to-Day benefits. The network is large and nationwide so there is a very good chance that we have a medical provider near you that you can visit.
Finding a doctor or dentist is easy. In this article, we'll show you the basics of how to use the online provider search tool.
The online provider search tool
A website has been created that you can use to search for a doctor or dentist on our network. To find this tool:
- You can start on our website at the Network page (https://www.episodic.co.za/health-insurance/network).
- Here you will find links to the online provider search tool. Or you can just go straight there https://www.pamc.co.za/ESSENTIALMED/LookUp
You'll notice this page is branded EssentialMED and PAMC:
- PAMC is the company that maintains the listings on the network which is why the search tool is on their website.
- EssentialMED is the provider of the Episodic Health Insurance product. They are basically one and the same thing. They build and maintain the network.
You now have two choices. You can search for
- available doctors or dentists in your area
- a specific provider by their practice name or practice number
Let's take a look at how that works.
Find a doctor or dentist in your area
This is quite simple:
- First select Search by Area
- Then choose the Specialty. Are you looking for a doctor (GP) or a dentist?
- Next select the province.
- You can now refine your search by optionally selecting a City and a Suburb
- When you click Search the results will start to appear below
Page through the results until you find what you are looking for.
How to refine your search by area
Addresses are funny things. Sometimes cities and suburbs get mixed up so it's a good idea to refine or widen your search. The City and Suburb options are optional. For a wider search, you can leave out your suburb for example.
It is also worth noting that there might not be a doctor in your exact suburb but there might be one next door in neighbouring region. So widen your search:
- Leave the suburb blank and do a City search
- Try neighbouring suburbs or cities to look for doctors in areas near you.
- Try different names for cities and suburbs, be as broad as possible.
Finding a specific doctor or dentist
If you know the name of the doctor or dentist then you can try and see if they are on the network. Better yet, if you know their practice number then the search will be more exact.
- First select Find my Doctor
- Then choose the Practice Number or the Practice Last Name
- Click Search and the results will start to appear.
It is important to note that a doctor's practice is not necessarily in their name. So if you are looking to see if your doctor is on the network, then it is work making sure you try to use the doctor's name that the practice belongs to. The same goes for the practice number. Each doctor has their own practice number but the offices (or surgery) that they work at might belong to a different doctor and you will need to search by that practice number.
In the images above you can see how various results are returned when searching by name or by practice number.
What if my doctor or dentist is not on the network?
The doctor and dentist network is constantly growing as more providers agree to join.
You can nominate your family doctor or dentist to join the network by filling in a request. Simply email info@essentialmed.co.za with the following information:
- Doctor/Dentist name and Practice Number
- Their contact details: phone & email
- Their address
It is ultimately the decision of the doctor and the product administrator when a provider is nominated to the network. We cannot make a guarantee that they will join as it is their choice.
