# Search for a Specific Provider Provider participation is a key component of making an informed selection for individuals and families shopping for health plans in the ACA or Medicare Advantage markets. As part of this shopping process, users often want to answer the question: "which of the plans available to me are in-network for my doctor(s)?". This workflow can be completed in two integrated steps: identifying the provider and evaluating participation across eligible plans. Ideon's Provider Search endpoint ([API docs](https://docs.ideonapi.com/#providers-providers-post)) can be used to search for healthcare providers with search criteria including geography, search term, provider specialty, and more. This is a required first step when building a "Shop by Doc" experience - presenting quoted plans for an end-user with provider participation. This workflow is summarized in the [Shop by Doc section](/quote-and-select/quote-individuals/shop-by-doc.md); this page covers the provider search step in detail. ## [Configuring Search Requests](/quote-and-select/provider-network-directory-search/search-for-a-specific-provider/configuring-search-requests.md) This section includes recommendations for structuring integrations to optimize for the requirements of your specific use case. The Provider Search endpoint supports various request parameters for filtering of responses. Following best practices when using this endpoint improve result accuracy and end-user experience. Deep dives into the following search criteria are included. * Recommended Search Structure * Provider Name Search Term * Filtering by Geographies * Filtering by Provider Specialty * Provider Type * Accepts Insurance ## [Provider Search Responses](/quote-and-select/provider-network-directory-search/search-for-a-specific-provider/provider-search-responses.md) This section details various aspects of the Provider Search endpoint responses, how to best present data in front-end interfaces, and how to interpret various search scenarios. The following topics are covered. * Result Schema and Data Dictionary * Provider Address Filtering * Ranking and Sorting of Results ## [Shop by Doc](/quote-and-select/quote-individuals/shop-by-doc.md) - Quote Individuals with Provider Participation This section details how to pass selected providers with their `npi` and `address_id` identifiers to evaluate provider participation in quoted plans in the IFP Medical and Medicare Advantage quoting workflows. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://ideonapi.gitbook.io/quote-and-select/provider-network-directory-search/search-for-a-specific-provider.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.