At Mercy Health Partners, you’ll find the clinical experience and technology you’d expect from a leading-edge healthcare provider. But you’ll also experience something else: compassionate and individualized attention. We call it the Mercy Circle of Caring and you’ll experience it at every point of interaction from registration to rehabilitation.
Mercy Health Partners is a leading-edge healthcare provider that features five award-winning hospitals, board-certified physicians, as well as a wide variety of programs and services, including twenty-four Primary Care and Specialty Care physician offices located all over town.
What is a Primary Care Physician? This is the doctor that is your first line of defense, the one who can treat most of the common conditions that you or your family face: colds, flu, strep throat, ear infections, skin conditions, gastrointestinal issues, blood pressure or cholesterol issues, sprains, and many other things. Primary Care Physicians also work with you to stay on top of your physical exams, routine screenings and well-checks. If they feel you need specialized attention, they can refer you to a specialist that they know and trust.
Why is having a Primary Care Physician so important? Even if you feel fine and have no current complaints, keeping up with preventive care goes a long way toward keeping you healthy. If you do have a variety of problems and are seeing several specialists, your primary care physician is the one who coordinates all care and makes sure, for instance, you don’t have conflicting meds. Your Primary Care Physician (PCP) can be your healthcare advocate.
I see an Internist; is that the same as a Family Physician? Internal medicine physicians and family physicians are both primary care and do many of the same things. Family physicians generally provide care for patients from birth on up, and some do pap and pelvic exams.
If I’m looking for a Primary Care Physician, what are some important considerations?
How important is it to have on-site services, such as a lab or imaging? It’s not absolutely necessary, but it is not only more convenient for you to have “one stop shopping,” it makes it easier for the doctor to have access to results faster, which often leads to a quicker diagnosis.
If I feel fine, why should I call my Primary Care Physician? Chances are, if you haven’t seen your PCP in awhile, you’re behind on preventive care. Regular visits can help keep you healthy, by making sure you aren’t unknowingly experiencing the early stages of more serious conditions such as, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, skin cancer, that could become more serious if they’re not caught early. Keeping up with immunizations is important, too, even for adults.
Other than convenience, what are the advantages to having a Mercy Medical Associates - Primary Care Physician? Mercy Medical Associates’ large network of primary care and all specialties provides a great line of communication among doctors and labs so that you get the most coordinated care. Very often there are on-site labs and imaging centers, and this, plus updated electronic records allows for fast results, diagnosis, and treatment. One of Mercy’s chief goals is to streamline administrative work so physicians can maximize the time they spend with patients. Mercy is committed to making sure the community is healthy and educated about your health.
To find out more, visit Mercy online at e-mercy.com.
