Ah, your friendly neighborhood primary care physician (PCP). You may also know her as your health care partner, your confidante, your medical team quarterback, your advocate.
From a primary doctor herself, here's why you need a primary doctor that you trust on your team.
Prevention first. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it's true! Primary care physicians are trained not only in the treatment of disease, but they also greatly value the prevention of it in the first place. Your annual preventative visit is an opportunity to review recommended immunizations, age and risk factor appropriate preventative cancer screenings, and healthy lifestyle measures that could add both number of years to and quality to your life.
Highly trained expertise. Thanks to the Internet (and TikTok!), the amount of health and wellness information out there is overwhelming. Sure, the supplement this influencer or that random person on YouTube used helped them do x, y, and z, but what does that mean for you? Your primary (who has dedicated at least 11 years of her life in school and in training) can help you sort through the noise and determine what is real vs. fake news.
Continuity of care. Your primary doc knows you and your medical history inside and out, so when an acute issue comes up or you find yourself with a new chronic diagnosis your PCP is the best person to help guide you towards the most appropriate treatment plan. You are a unique human being with a unique medical history and unique symptoms. All of this plays a role in your doctor's ability to safely and effectively diagnose, work up, and manage your health conditions in a way that keeps you at your best.
Care coordination. One of my biggest pet peeves in our current healthcare system is the piecemeal nature of it. Too many times, I've seen patients receive treatments by multiple healthcare providers and in multiple settings who are unfamiliar with their individual histories. This could be another doctor or advanced practice provider (physician assistant or nurse practitioner) in their PCP's office, various specialists' offices, insurance or employer-sponsored or private pay telemedicine settings, urgent cares, and emergency departments - and the patients are still having the same concern that hasn't been adequately addressed! Or even worse, an important piece of the puzzle was lost in between these transitions and there is a delay or lack of diagnosis and/or treatment. A good PCP will collect, consolidate, and interpret all of this data to coordinate your personalized care plan.
Cost savings. Health care ain't cheap, and your primary doctor can help you receive health care in an economical fashion. Your PCP can help prevent, diagnose, and treat illness which can save you time and money spent at specialists' offices, urgent cares, and emergent care facilities. She can also help work up many of your health concerns and problems to avoid having to send you for unnecessary diagnostic testing.
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