Your primary care physician manages all aspects of your health care and is the doctor you visit with any questions regarding your health. He or she is your first contact with any health problem you have and is the one who will provide you with a referral if you need the care of a specialist other than an OB-GYN, chiropractor, psychologist, or optometrist. Having a primary care physician at your hospital offers many benefits, especially since all your doctors can likely be found under one roof.

Patients receive both emotional and physical benefits from having a steady primary care physician overseeing their health care. It is because of the many benefits of primary care that President Obama allocated over $300 million in education and training grants for primary care physicians. Here we take a closer look at the benefits of primary care.

Financial savings. Having a physician you go to regularly means you will be more likely catch any problems early on. Conditions that can be treated through dietary changes, exercise, and medication can be corrected before the problem becomes much more serious and costly, potentially even life-threatening.

Preventative care. Patients who visit their primary care physician regularly receive regular physical exams and immunizations, avoiding problems down the road with preventative care that keeps them healthier.

Buildup of trust. Over time, patients build relationships with their physicians and establish a trust for them, feeling open to discuss not only their health concerns but other areas of their personal lives that might impact health.

Ongoing counseling. Unlike a specialist, who you visit once, an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician allows for counseling, which enables the patient to get better supervised care and for the physician to better determine whether the patient would benefit from the care of a counselor or other specialist.

High patient satisfaction. The ease of which a patient can access a physician who already knows them personally and their medical history leaves a patient more satisfied with the level of care, especially when compared to the level of satisfaction the patient feels after visiting a specialist.

People who live in Doral and Westchester can receive all of these benefits by visiting a primary care physician right here at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami. Get to know our physicians and take the necessary step to seek health care from a physician you can build a relationship with—and who has an entire hospital’s worth of resources at his or her disposal. Call 1-305-222-2200 to speak with a registered nurse who can schedule an appointment for you today.

Sources:

HHS Awards $320 Million to Expand Primary Care Workforce (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Does Preventive Care Save Money? (New England Journal of Medicine)

Choosing a Primary Care Physician (MIT Human Resources)

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