How To Choose A Primary Care Physician For Your Family?

Almost every family is associated with a primary care physician in NYC. Choosing these healthcare professionals is very important for your family. Primary care physician is a doctor whom you consult for the medical issues like cough, cold, regular health checkups etc. They are also responsible for referring you to a specialist in case of a serious health issue.

People trust their primary care physicians, which is why some physician-patient relationships last for decades while others last only for a short time. Regardless of the time span, it is essential to have a well qualified doctor as your primary care physician.

Here are some important tips for choosing the right one.

Doctors in your network

Health plans have special rates with specific doctors and hospitals in your area. It is important to ensure that the doctor you are choosing is in the network to avoid extra charges during medical procedures.

Doctor’s expertise

There are different physicians who specialise in handling patients like children, elderly etc. Choose your doctor wisely according to your family’s needs. You can narrow down your search by filtering the physicians who do not match your specific needs.

Referrals

Referrals help you in the selection process. A word of mouth assurance works better than reviews written at a doctor’s clinic. Always consider the experience of your friends and relatives before choosing your primary physician.

Location

It is always a good idea to have your primary physician close to your office and home. You can reach your doctor easily in the case of an emergency.

Official Visit

An official visit and face to face interaction will seal any doubts you have as well as make you comfortable about your decision. Share your medical history and analyse if the physician is capable of managing your health.

Many doctors use email and mobile alerts to notify you of upcoming examinations, which are important to maintain your good health. Take note of small things like staff interaction, call handling and environmental factors in their office. Take your time and then finalize your primary healthcare physician

Few Medical Tests Performed By A Primary Care Physician

Physicians are the health care specialists who are responsible for diagnosing and treating health issues of a person, whether an infant, a teenager or an adult.

There are a number of medical tests that a primary care physician performs. Some of the common tests are listed below-

• Allergy test - These days, many people a suffering from some kind of allergy such as food allergy, dust allergy, allergic asthma, seasonal allergy, skin rashes, hay fever, dermatitis, venom allergy and more. To discover the main cause behind these allergies, physicians conduct different allergy tests. The diagnosis of allergy is done through skin test or blood test.

• Carotid Doppler - Plaque in carotid arteries prevents blood flowing to the brain, which can cause some serious health, issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

• Holter test - The Holter test helps in determining whether proper oxygen is received by heart or not. To check this, a small device is attached to the patient’s body for approx. 24 hours.

• Full Body checkup - The physicians are also responsible for performing full body checkup, which includes checkup of cardiovascular system, respiratory system, ears, lungs, eyes etc. In addition, regular checkups are also conducted that include heart rate, temperature, weight, and respiration rate.

• Echocardiogram - The ultrasound test helps in diagnosing heart diseases like valve disease, congenital heart disease, pericardial disease, and myocardial disease and more. With the help of test results doctors can prescribe proper medication to the patients.

The above-mentioned are just few of the tests that a physician performs. However, it is very important for you to look for qualified primary care physician in NYC that can provide you proper guidance and medications according to your test results.