CrisisID

A generation or two ago, people relied on General Practitioners (GPs) for all their medical needs, from treating colds, hayfever, and backaches to setting broken arms and delivering babies. The kindly, competent GP knew the medical histories of every member of a patient’s family because he treated them all. Today, Primary-Care Physicians are bringing this tradition back. Find out why you and your family may want a PCP and how to choose one.

Health care in the U.S. is largely defined by specialty care, with an endless number of high-tech procedures. This system is expensive and centers around curing disease rather than preventing it. Fortunately, more emphasis is now placed on preventive medicine and Americans are taking an increased responsibility for their health by improving their diets and exercising. That’s where a primary-care physician comes in.

Major Role of the Primary-Care Physician

Primary-care physicians see their patients regularly to keep close tabs on their health and their use of specialty care. By educating you about measures that will keep serious medical problems from occurring in the first place, they practice preventive rather than crisis medicine.

Since primary-care physicians see individuals and perhaps their entire families over an extended period of time, they become familiar with the physical, psychological and lifestyle factors that might impact their patients’ health. So in addition to finding out about your medical history, primary-care physicians need to know a great deal about your life. Do you smoke? Are you happy? Is your job frustrating? How much do you exercise? Is your marriage solid?

When doctors have all this information, they can suggest ways to improve your health. They know what is normal for you and can better understand medical problems that arise in relation to your general health. Additionally, because they are trained in a number of different disciplines, a primary physician can try to treat you before sending you to a specialist, saving you considerable time and money. If you do need to see a specialist, your PCP can keep track of your care to spare you from getting duplicate diagnostic procedures or medications that are dangerously incompatible with one another. Despite this ideal scenario of PCP as gatekeeper, many patients complain that they are not getting appropriate medical care even when their lives depend on it because penny-pinching, bureaucratic HMOs refuse to cover the costs. HMO subscribers are now demanding that they have access to emergency care and out-of-network physicians. They also want to be able to sue an HMO if they are harmed as a result of denied benefits.

Three Kinds of Primary Care

If you’re thinking about finding a primary-care physician, don’t wait until you get sick. The relationship you develop with this health professional can be the key to keeping illness at bay, and it is your best entry point into the rest of the medical system.

When looking for a primary-care physician keep in mind that out of 24 different specialties in medicine, only the following three are considered primary care:

1. Family Practice and General Practice. A Family Practitioner is a physician who specializes in general family care. Doctors in this specialty are trained in several basic medical disciplines including internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery and psychiatry. They can also be board certified. General Practitioners, while more common in the past, can still be found and provide care for everyone in the family.

2. Internal medicine. An internist is a physician who diagnoses and “medically” treats (without surgery) disease in adults. Internists may have a subspecialty which focuses on: a specific part of the body, such as the heart or lungs; a specific disease, like diabetes or arthritis; or a particular age group, such as adolescents or the elderly.

3. Pediatrics. Pediatricians care for and treat children from birth through the teens. They commonly have subspecialties, such as pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology, perinatal medicine, or surgery.

Ways to Find a Primary-Care Doctor

Your first step is to gather names. Here are a variety of sources to try:

· Physicians. If you have recently moved to a new location, ask your former physician for a referral. You can also ask other doctors you respect and see regularly, such as a gynecologist or pediatrician.

· Friends, relatives or business associates. Referrals from people you know are usually based on trust and confidence, which is certainly in your favor. Remember, though, that your contacts’ opinions may be largely based on how they click with the physician’s personality and style. Only a visit with the doctor will reveal if these qualities suit you.

· Hospitals. Reputable hospitals usually 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. However, the referral service cannot vouch for the physician’s quality of care.

· Your local medical society. Local medical societies often offer directories of their membership, but like hospitals, they cannot vouch for quality.

· Managed care plan. If you belong to a managed care plan, find out what doctors are affiliated with it. Ask what information is available on the doctor’s background and services.