Family Medicine

Reasons Why You Need a Family Medicine Provider

Health care is becoming increasingly fragmented, which can make it hard to know who to turn to when you need medical attention. Americans are increasingly using emergency rooms or urgent care centers as their primary health care source, instead of just for medical emergencies. While this may seem easier or more convenient, the reality is that having a family medicine provider can be the better choice.

Long-Term Medical History

Having a good family medicine provider who has taken care of you anywhere from infancy to adulthood is beneficial and important for many reasons. Since the relationship is developed over time, your primary care provider gets to know you and your medical history inside and out, which means more accurate diagnoses and consistent monitoring of changes in your health over time.

A family medicine provider familiarity with your medical history means that you’re supported in both disease management and disease prevention. Treatment provided over a long period of time means that family medicine provider learns what is considered normal for you. This allows the family medicine provider to be the first to detect emerging conditions through any significant changes that could indicate a serious problem.

Comprehensive Care

A family medicine provider can provide regular checkups and exams, as well as offer advice and information on a wide range of topics. Your family medicine provider can also provide comprehensive care by treating a wide range of health conditions, from back pain and flu to managing chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma.

The family medicine provider’s ability to listen to your needs and give you time and expertise with each treatment ensures that you receive the best care possible.

Continuity of Care With Specialists

Another important benefit of having a family medicine provider is continuity of care if you need to see a specialist. Your family medicine provider has unique knowledge of your health and can consult with the specialist about your conditions and history. By being active in the referral process, the primary care provider can ensure that the specialist has all the right background information on your conditions and the medications you take. Keeping you in good health is the goal, so trusting in your family medicine provider’s expertise can go a long way.

Advanced Family Health Care in Wellington, Florida

Seeing a familiar face as you travel through the stages of life can be very comforting, especially when times get tough. At Advanced Medical Clinic, PA, we pride ourselves on providing individualized, quality health care for your family.

To learn more about us and the services we offer, or to arrange a visit to our Wellington, Florida clinic, call us at (561) 434-1935, or request an appointment using our online form. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about our practice and the primary care services we provide.

What Can a Family Medicine Provider Help You With?

Did you know that about one in every four provider’s office visits – some 214 million in the US alone – are made to a family medicine provider?

That’s because unlike medical specialists who focus on a specific ailment or injury to a particular part of the body, family medicine providers offer a wide range of care for a variety of health conditions to patients of all ages.

Here are just some of the many healthcare needs a family medicine practitioner can help you with:

  • Preventive care – A family medicine provider can not only educate you about disease prevention and maintaining your health, but also oversee your preventive care. That includes your mental and emotional, as well as physical, needs. For example, your family family medicine provider can suggest the best forms of exercise for your particular fitness level, provide weight control and nutritional counseling, conduct fertility testing, or show you stress relief and anger management techniques to improve your overall well-being.
  • Handling common health complaints – Whether it’s treating a cold or flu, a sore throat or ear infection, your family family medicine provider’s office is your first – and often only – stop for appropriate diagnosis and medication. Also, if you or your child require immunizations, your family medicine provider is the person to see.
  • Diagnosis of emerging conditions – As someone familiar with your medical history, your family family medicine provider can analyze new and unusual symptoms and recognize the development of a hidden or serious condition requiring prompt attention. For example, your family medicine provider is usually the first family medicine provider to examine you and screen for early signs of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. That includes ordering, performing, and interpreting tests to diagnose the condition, explain the test results to you, monitor your treatment and rehabilitation, and re-evaluate your therapy when necessary.
  • Managing chronic illness – One of the responsibilities of a family medicine provider is to provide personalized, ongoing care for chronic and degenerative conditions such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. Using diagnostic tests, they assess your rehabilitative progress to determine the most effective follow-up steps in your personal treatment plan.
  • Coordinating your rehabilitation – Your family medicine provider is the one who refers you to a specialist if your condition requires specialized care. But his or her involvement doesn’t end there. Acting as your primary care provider, your family medicine provider coordinates on your behalf with specialists, physical or occupational therapists, pharmacists, and any other health care providers to make sure that all of your medical needs are addressed.

That is why it is often said that “family medicine providers do not treat diseases; they take care of people.”

The friendly staff at Advanced Medical is committed to providing the highest quality care you need to return your family to health and keep you well. If you have any questions about our primary care services, please call our office at (561) 434-1935. To schedule an appointment, you can call us or use our secure online appointment request form.