Factors to Consider When Choosing a Primary Care Physician

Preventative care is one of the most essential components in maintaining the health of the general population and saving each patient time and money. One of the best ways to ensure that you can access high-quality and necessary preventative care is through a primary care physician. Having a primary care physician will provide you with a health care provider that is knowledgeable of your entire medical history and family medical history so that they have all of the necessary context surrounding your current health conditions or what may be eventual risks. With this information, they will make sure that you have all medical screenings that would be recommended done regularly and will act as a primary contact if you were to require treatment from another specialist or through a hospital.

Through regular check-ups and a well-established relationship of trust and confidentiality, a primary care physician will be your go-to medical advocate to keep on top of all potential health risks, providing immunizations as needed, referrals whenever useful, and making sure that any prescribed medication continues to be the right treatment option for you. They will also stick alongside their patients who are navigating chronic illnesses such as chronic pain, diabetes, and even mental health conditions, to ensure that their patients have access to the specific care or treatment options that would provide them with the best possible results.

Regular check-ups with your primary physician will vary a little bit depending on any pre-existing health conditions, your age and gender, and potential risks, to ensure that any new conditions are caught early and that any preventative care is administered promptly. Generally speaking, you can expect your primary care physician to perform a physical examination, taking account of weight, blood pressure, and BMI, and assessing all of the vital signs. If you are taking any medications, they will likely want to review how you are doing on those medications, if they are working as intended, and if there are any side effects or reactions of which you may be concerned.

Regular check-ups will also often include any health screenings that need to be done every year or few years, such as breast exams, pap smears, prostate exams, checking for any indications of skin cancer, and maybe even taking a blood sample to check blood sugar levels, hormone levels, or anything else that may be of concern. Some of these screenings may be outsourced to clinics with laboratory services, including anything that takes biopsies, samples, or is screening for cancer, but in some lucky cases, primary care physician offices will have access to an on-site lab so that all of those tests can be completed under one roof during the same appointment. In all cases, it will be your primary care physician who reviews the results from these screenings and tests with you.

The difference between the terms doctor and primary care physician is that primary care physicians are a type of doctor. The doctor is a more general term referring to medical professionals with the base level of training and expertise, whereas primary care is a specific field of medicine. Many different terms are frequently used to refer to physicians who provide primary care to several patients but perform very similar tests and roles in their patients’ lives, such as general practitioners or family doctors. In all cases, the physician who is your designated healthcare provider will typically be the first person you go to whenever there are changes or concerns regarding your health.

Visit Getwell Urgent Care for experienced and qualified primary care physicians, who are always ready to serve you to manage your unexpected non-life-threatening medical conditions. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 2803 E El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA, 95051. We serve patients from Santa Clara CA, San Jose CA, Campbell CA, Cupertino CA, Sunnyvale CA, Milpitas CA, Fruitdale CA and surrounding areas.