This is the best advice of all. Indeed, good doctors know good doctors.
In general, they won’t bad mouth their colleges. But listen for very
strong words of praise like “He’s an outstanding surgeon”, or
“I would let him operate on my family members.
Also listen for faint praise like “he’s a good surgeon”, or “I’ve never
heard of any problems with his care”. That is damning with faint
praise and doctors do it all the time. Think about it. You don’t want
a “good” doctor....you want a GREAT doctor.