A primary care doctor is your gateway to quality healthcare at affordable rates. Regardless of how healthy you think you are, it is always a good idea to get an expert opinion. A primary care doctor can help you with routine evaluations and refer you to specialists should you need further attention. And since a primary care provider is usually the first responder to any accidents or emergencies, having one nearby is usually a good idea. The benefits of having a local primary care doctor are numerous. Here are eight of them.
Staying healthy: No matter how healthy you think you are, there can always be something lying dormant in your system. A ten-year study has shown that having a primary care doctor significantly increases life expectancy. Patients with access to primary care doctors stay up to date on their health and preventive care. Since primary care doctors are also equipped to spot and treat any signs of chronic diseases, they can spot any underlying condition before it gets serious.
Lower health costs: Your insurance will cover most of what a primary care doctor does. But that is not the only saving you can make. When you visit a primary care doctor for routine check-ups, you can potentially avoid future health costs. Think of it this way. When you visit your dentist every six months to get your teeth cleaned up, most of the cost is covered by insurance. But skip a few of those appointments, and you might find yourself with a bad toothache that requires more than a few procedures and a visit to the specialist.
Single solution to all your health problems: A primary care physician can provide primary health care on just about anything. From checking your grandpa’s blood pressure to taking care of your back pain that has been around for a while, a primary care physician checks for red flags throughout your body. Unlike specialist care, a primary care physician focuses on providing general care. You can discuss all your health problems in a single visit to the primary care physician—a one-stop solution to all your health problems.
Emergency care: The closer you are to a primary care physician, the better. A local primary care physician is always on hand to deal with emergencies. During emergencies, having access to immediate health care can be the difference between life and death. A local primary care physician is well equipped to deal with any emergencies, and since they are nearby, you can always count on them to help you out.
Family history: If all your family members go to the same primary care physician, which they should, it will help you out in the long-run. Primary care physicians keep track records of medical conditions off all their patients, including family history and genetic diseases. This allows them to respond effectively during emergencies and suggest the proper medical care. Family history is also a great place to begin when looking for any genetic diseases that might appear in the future. Once you know what can happen in the future, it’s all about taking preventive care.
Coordinating between specialists: If you are visiting two or more specialists simultaneously, a primary care physician can help you coordinate between them. Unlike a primary care physician, specialists don’t have all the details about your past medical history and the fact that you are seeing another specialist. As a result, they might recommend medicines that do not mix well with your other prescriptions. A primary care physician can regulate between specialists to ensure that you don’t end up on the wrong side of a medical reaction.
Medical history: Much like your family history, a primary care physician also keeps a complete record of your personal medical history. This includes past diseases, prescriptions, accidents, allergies, and everything else related to your health. Medical histories come in handy during emergencies and are also helpful for specialist care. A primary care physician can strike any medicines that have not worked in the past and change medications that you might be allergic to.
Medical advice: Since a primary care physician knows just about everything there is to know about your health, they are best equipped to give you medical advice. From improving your lifestyle to getting rid of the knee pain bugging you for weeks, a primary care physician is your go-to person for anything related to health.
A primary care physician is your key to a better and healthy lifestyle. They are your guide to the health care system and are best placed to be your medical advisor. The more you open up to your primary care physician, the better they can care for you. A primary care physician is your best at ensuring that you rarely need to book visits to the emergency wards in the long run. And the closer you are to your primary care physician, the better.
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