Great Medicine

The best advice I ever got about medicine was to choose your hospital before you choose your doctor. Good hospitals -- teaching hospitals that see large volumes of diverse patients -- have good doctors. And the best rated doctors are almost always affiliated with top hospitals.

Here is the first of an occasional list of good health care providers.

Hartford Hospital - for stroke. According to Dr. Inam Kureshi, Hartford Hospital sees more than 750 stroke patients a year -- more than Yale-New Haven or Mass General. It is one of the 10 largest stroke centers in the nation.

Bridgeport Hospital - for heart attacks. You have the best chances of survival after a heart attack at Bridgeport Hospital.

Note: Do not judge a hospital by its surrounding neighborhood. This is one case in real estate where it's not location, location, location. It's about the care.

Belvedere Podiatry - Drs. Paul M. Greenberg and Rick J. Del Monte are among the few doctors who are willing to fix someone else's botched surgery. I know because they've operated on my feet twice after four surgeries were done by orthopaedists. Never, ever let an orthopaedist touch your feet unless he or she treats only feet. When I had my surgery done by orthopaedists, it was in the days when people still believed that podiatrists are not real doctors. They are. In fact, Drs. Greenberg and Del Monte hold Diplomate status. They are completely up-to-date on procedures and techniques. It's hard to believe, but it's true: you probably will not need pain killers after surgery. In between surgeries, I found out that Janet Carlson, one of the world's best health editors, recommends them.

John Fulkerson, M.D. - for knees. Carlson, who is also a competitive ballroom dancer and has suffered multiple injuries, also recommends Dr. Fulkerson of Orthopedic Associates of Hartford (www.oahct.com). OAH also has other renowned specialists including John Grady-Benson for hips and Steven Schutzer for knees, hips, dance and sports medicine. Carlson also found that DonJoy Knee Braces help a variety of knee ailments. Check out their website and you'll see that you won't find anything like their braces at drug stores or most stores that sell medical supplies. www.betterbraces.com/donjoy/knee-braces.

Kristaps Keggi, M.D. and John Keggi, M.D. - for hips. The former is a pioneer in anterior hip replacement surgery. His nephew, John, followed him into this subspecialty, but practices with a different group. John Keggi also does hip resurfacing. Kristaps Keggi is with Yale (www.orthopedics.yale.edu). John Keggi is with Orthopaedics New England (www.keggiorthosurgery.com).