Choose Your Primary Care Physician Today
What is a primary care provider (PCP)?
A primary care provider (PCP) is a healthcare practitioner who sees people that have common medical problems. This person is usually a doctor, but may be a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner.
Why is it important to choose the right PCP? Your PCP is your main healthcare provider and is often involved in your care for a long time, so it is important to select someone with whom you will work well. Your PCP's role is to:
- Provide preventive care and teach healthy lifestyle choices
- Identify and treat common medical conditions
- Assess the urgency of your medical problems and direct you to the best place for that care
- Make referrals to medical specialists when necessary
Primary care is usually provided in an outpatient setting; however, if you are admitted to the hospital, your PCP may assist in or direct your care, depending on the circumstances.
Having a primary care provider can give you a trusted, ongoing relationship with one medical professional over time. You can choose from several different types of PCPs:
- Family practitioners – doctors who have completed a family practice residency and are board certified, or board eligible, for this specialty. The scope of their practice includes children and adults of all ages and may include obstetrics and minor surgery.
- Pediatricians – doctors who have completed a pediatric residency and are board certified, or board eligible, in this specialty. The scope of their practice includes the care of newborns, infants, children, and adolescents.
- Internists – doctors who have completed a residency in internal medicine and are board certified, or board eligible, in this specialty. The scope of their practice includes the care of adults of all ages for many different medical problems.
- Obstetricians/gynecologists – doctors who have completed a residency and are board certified, or board eligible, in this specialty. They often serve as a PCP for women, particularly those of childbearing age.
- Nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) – practitioners who go through a different training and certification process than doctors. They are often referred to as "physician extenders." They may be your key contact in some practices. All PAs or NPs consult with physicians.
Many insurance plans limit the providers you can choose from, or provide financial incentives for you to select from a specific list of providers. Make sure you know what your insurance covers before starting to narrow down your options.
When choosing a PCP, also consider the following:
- Is the office staff friendly and helpful?
- Are the office hours convenient to your schedule?
- How easy is it to reach the provider? Does the provider use e-mail?
- Is your provider or his/her partner readily available in the evening or on weekends for emergency questions/issues?
- Do you prefer a provider whose communication style is friendly and warm, or more formal?
- Do you prefer a provider focused on disease treatment, or wellness and prevention?
- Does the provider have a conservative or aggressive approach to treatment?
- Does the provider refer to other specialists frequently or infrequently?
- What do colleagues and patients say about the provider?
- Does the provider invite you to be involved in your care? Does the provider view your patient-doctor relationship as a true partnership?
Do you need a primary care physician? If so, call our free referral service at
1-855-966-2600.
