The Importance of Primary Health Care and Having a Primary Care Provider
Are you tired of having to constantly explain your situation to doctors that know nothing about you to get the medical care you need? Are you looking for a physician that will help you and continue helping you throughout your life, without having to explain yourself over and over again?
If so, you’re probably looking for a primary care provider. Below is information about primary health care and why you should have a primary care doctor.
What is Primary Health Care and a Primary Care Provider?
Direct primary care is a form of direct billing and payments between patients and medical professionals. A primary care provider is a medical professional that helps you keep track of your health. They are usually doctors, but can also be physician assistants and nurses.
Primary care providers are the doctors you consult with whenever you don’t have a medical emergency. If it is an emergency, 911 is your best bet.
What Does Primary Health Care Do?
With direct primary care, all of your health concerns are dealt with. Your primary care provider will know you better than other doctors and medical professionals because they offer annual health checkups. They will be familiar with:
- Your lifestyle
- Your medical history
- Your health
- Your family’s medical history
- Your choice of treatments
Seeing a familiar face to discuss your health concerns will be easier for both of you, making it more efficient for you to get the care that you need and deserve.
How Can It Help?
Primary health providers can do many things, depending on their specialty. But they all take into account factors in your life that contribute to your overall health. After considering these factors, they can:
- Help guide you to make healthier decisions
- Help you stay updated on your vaccines to prevent illnesses
- Aid you in managing your long-term health problems such as diabetes
- Help with sudden health problems such as rashes
- Find the right medical professional for your situation
Primary healthcare workers know you, so they will be able to personalize your healthcare plan and get you the help that you need more easily and efficiently. They will also be able to find problems quickly, depending on how often you get a check-up.
Primary health care is also beneficial because it costs less as you’re making direct payments to the medical professional instead of through insurance companies. Consulting with someone who already knows your situation could also lead to fewer appointments with other medical professionals.
Where Can I Find a Provider and How do I Choose?
If you’re looking for medical help, you want to make sure your provider is someone you’re comfortable with and will tend to your medical needs.
You can find the provider who is right for you by:
- Looking for medical professionals through your health insurance
- Consulting with people you trust, such as friends and family, to see if they have anyone they recommend
- Asking other medical professionals for their recommendations
- Conducting local searches online or in-person for healthcare professionals
After you’ve found potential primary care providers, you can ask yourself if they would suit you by finding out their office hours, if they focus more on treatment or disease prevention, or what their specialty is. How they communicate with you can also be a deciding factor.
Don’t be afraid to switch providers as well, especially if you think you’re not getting the care you need.
Final Thoughts
Primary healthcare is important because people would have access to individualized health plans with more ease and efficiency. It’s good to consult with professionals, especially if you have medical questions or emergencies.
This is a very good article and I couldn’t agree more.