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What is a Primary Care Physician?

In the past people relied on family doctors for everything from broken bones and the common cold to the delivery of babies. Family practitioners knew the medical history of the entire family because they treated both the children and the parents. Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are bringing this tradition back. Instead of specializing in a specific area of medicine, PCPs help patients maintain overall health by focusing on preventive care. Some, but not all, insurance companies require patients to chose a Primary Care Physician. Check with your insurance company to see if you’re required to select a PCP.

Which doctors qualify as Primary Care Physicians?

There are 24 specialties in medicine but typically only three qualify as PCPs. Although some women may think their Obstetrician/Gynecologist qualifies as a PCP, in most cases only doctors with the following three specialties are considered PCPs:

• Family Practice or General Practice: A family practitioner is qualified to care for the entire family. A family practitioner can be board-certified and have training in a variety of subjects including Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. This specialty was more common in years past but can still be found to treat the entire family.
• Internal Medicine: An internist can diagnose and treat disease with medicine. An internist is not a surgeon. There are several sub-specialties an internist can have, including: specializing in a particular organ, like the lungs or the kidneys, a particular disease, like diabetes, or a particular age group, like the elderly.
• Pediatrics: A pediatrician specializes in the overall well-being of children. Most pediatricians treat children from birth until adolescence or about 14 years old. Pediatricians can have sub-specialties such as surgery or pediatric cardiology.

How can you find a Primary Care Physician?

Choosing a doctor can be challenging; You might not want to just pick a name out of the phone book. If your insurance company requires you to choose a PCP, you may want to take time to research your options. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Your health insurance company. Your health insurance company may have listings of doctors in their network who are accepting new patients. Choosing a PCP is often the first step in seeking treatment under an HMO or PPO plan. PCPs will handle any referrals to specialists you need.
• Personal referral. People often ask their friends, families and co-workers for referrals to Primary Care Physicians. If someone you respect and trust has a positive experience with a doctor, it’s more likely you too will like that particular physician.
• Current Physicians. If you are moving to a new area, you could ask your current physician to help you find a PCP in your new neighborhood.
• Hospitals. It is common for hospitals to offer a referral service that can provide you with the names of staff doctors who meet certain criteria you may be seeking, such as specialty, gender, experience and location.

Why should you choose a Primary Care Physician?

Don’t wait until you get sick to choose a PCP. Primary Care Physicians see their patients regularly, looking for symptoms a patient may not notice. Annual exams may help your PCP guide you toward healthy lifestyle habits that may decrease the likelihood that you’ll need expensive specialty care. In most cases, a PCP will need to refer you to a specialist should you need one. PCPs can educate patients on healthy habits and catch early warning signs that may require further investigation. For example, a routine health exam may uncover conditions such as high blood pressure or even hormonal imbalances due to glandular problems. Health problems like these can go unnoticed by the patient for years resulting in serious chronic health issues. Developing a relationship with your Primary Care Physician can help keep illnesses at bay. Remember the old adage: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.