Maintaining a healthy lifestyle involves more than visiting the doctor when you are sick. It is also about working with a primary care doctor to identify your health concerns and take proactive measures to protect your well-being. However, not all primary care providers can effectively protect your health.
Have you been grappling with one big question: how do I find the best primary care doctors near me? Here is what you need to know.
Know the type of primary care you need
You need to determine your health needs before starting the search for a primary care provider. This is because different providers offer different types of primary care services.
The types of primary care providers include:
- Family care doctor — Many people often wonder: is primary care the same as family medicine? Family care is a subset of primary care that deals with offering medical treatment to families. Family care doctors provide care to people of all ages by offering preventive care, evaluating symptoms, and treating chronic conditions.
- Internists — An internist doctor provides diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care for internal organs and body systems. They are usually concerned with the health of the lungs, liver, kidney, and heart.
- Physician’s Assistant (PA) — Their primary duties include examining, diagnosing, and treating patients. They are also likely to do home visits and conduct initial evaluations.
- Gynecologists — These primary care providers specialize in sexual and reproductive health services. They will diagnose and provide treatment for reproductive disorders such as pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, and infertility.
- Pediatrician — A pediatrician specializes in the health of young adults, adolescents, children, and infants. They can identify, prevent, and manage developmental, behavioral, and physical issues in children and young adults.
- Geriatricians — These are primary care providers who specialize in treating older patients. They will offer outpatient medical consultation and care or work at a nursing facility.
Get recommendations
You can ask your colleagues, friends, and family members to recommend a primary caregiver. Moreover, you can read online testimonials from previous customers.
Health professionals can also guide you toward a qualified physician. For instance, you can reach out to physical therapists, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists in your area for more information about the health care providers you are evaluating. Alternatively, you can request these professionals to provide a list of their recommended doctors.
Choose an in-network doctor
An in-network provider is a physician who has signed a contract with your health insurance provider. This means that you will pay for the primary care services at a pre-negotiated rate. Consequently, you are guaranteed of paying less out-of-pocket when you visit an in-network doctor.
In-network service providers come with the advantage of higher deductibles and copays. Similarly, there is less paperwork to complete, and the payment process is more streamlined. For instance, you may not be required to pay upfront.
You can find an in-network provider by checking your insurance provider’s website. The primary care physician will also list the networks that they support on their website. Alternatively, you can call your agent, the primary care provider, or your insurance company to find out.
Check quality ratings
Multiple professional bodies, as well as state and federal agencies, provide quality ratings of primary care providers. These ratings provide insights into the health care doctor’s ability to offer equitable, patient-focused, timely, safe, and effective primary care. Accordingly, quality ratings may help you determine whether a specific primary care physician will diagnose and treat your medical problems effectively.
Examine education and certification credentials
Before a person is licensed to become a primary caregiver in Charlotte, they must have certain academic and professional qualifications. To begin with, the person must have completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree from a medical school in an accredited university or college. They must also register for and pass the Medical College Admission Test.
The primary care physician should also demonstrate that they completed a clerkship or internship. This process usually takes three to seven years. It will also be better if the doctor has completed additional medical courses, such as postgraduate certificates in medicine.
The easiest way to confirm these qualifications is to check the physician’s licenses. You can do that by visiting the Federation of State Medical Board’s website. This website provides information about a doctor’s active licenses, education, certifications, and complaints. Other ways to verify a primary caregiver’s license include contacting the physician’s medical school and residency.
Know their accessibility and availability
You will probably be making multiple trips to the doctor’s office. Accordingly, you should select a caregiver located near your office, school, or home. This ensures that you spend the least time and money to receive primary care services.
If you find multiple primary care services in your area, you should then move on to consider other things such as the availability of inexpensive parking spaces. You should also try to know the location of critical facilities, such as X-ray machines and laboratories.
It’s also important to know when the primary care physician’s practice is open. Physicians who offer on-call services and are available on weekends and evenings are a great choice. Similarly, your chosen doctor should have a quick check-in process.
Ask about telemedicine
You may not have the time to make frequent trips to the doctor’s office. That is why the ideal primary care provider should offer telemedicine options.
Some of the main telemedicine services that a physician may offer include:
- Remote ongoing care for patients with chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes
- Online counseling services and creating self-care plans for smoking cessation, weight loss, and depression management
Live a healthy life
The choice of a primary care provider will determine whether you enjoy a healthy life and save money. That is why you should choose Matthews Internal Medicine. We provide integrated primary care services in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our team focuses on improving our patients’ overall health and reducing their chances of contracting illness and pain. As a result, preventive care measures are the cornerstone of our medical practice. Contact us to book an appointment.