Primary Care: Why It’s Your Most Important Health Care Relationship

The most important relationships in your life are most often the longest ones. They’re with the people who know your story and are deeply invested in your lifelong success and happiness. Your most important health care relationship should be long term, too, and that’s the one you develop with your primary care provider.

A primary care provider is the health care professional who’s as invested in your long-term health as you are. They help you stay healthy, manage any day-to-day health needs you have, provide the care you need when you’re sick, and help connect you with more advanced or specialized care should you need it. But access to care isn’t the only benefit of having a primary care provider. There are lots more, including these:

Familiarity

Having a single physician who’s seen you for everything from stomachaches to immunizations to blood pressure control means you have a health resource who knows your history. When you have an appointment, you don't have to explain that you have a family history of heart disease or list the medications you're taking and in what doses. Visits are less stressful and more productive when patients know their physician and the practice staff. In a familiar setting, it’s also easier to discuss sensitive issues because you’re talking with someone you know and trust.

Easier Prescription Refills and Management

Primary care providers make it easier to get prescription refills and stay on top of any medication issues. But they’re excellent medication gatekeepers as well. Being prescribed different medicines from different physicians can result in dangerous drug interactions or side effects when they’re taken at the same time. By keeping track of all your medications, a primary care physician can act as a facilitator to make sure your dosage and usage are correct and safe.

Efficiency

A primary care practice also provides a wide range of health services in one location, including preventive care and screenings, treatment for chronic conditions, and acute care for problems that pop up from time to time. Being able to get that many types of care in one place makes the care you receive incredibly convenient and efficient.

Prevention Through Early Detection

One of the keys to successful treatment of just about any health issues is early detection. The more a physician knows you and sees you, the more likely they’ll be able to detect health problems before they occur. With your overall health profile, your primary care physician can recommend tests to determine your risk of developing diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. And if you're at high risk, your primary care physician can recommend lifestyle changes that can help lower your risk and keep you healthy.

Finding the right primary care provider can take time. So can building the close, long-term relationship it takes to make primary care truly valuable. But investing that time can pay huge dividends in your long-term health and well-being. And there’s nothing more valuable than that.

Find a Mount Carmel Medical Group Primary Care provider near you and schedule an appointment today.