Lifestyle

Primary Care

When you’re sick, you probably go to the doctor, but who helps you look after your health when you’re not sick? Seeing a doctor shouldn’t be just for sick visits or annual physicals.
Text by Stacy Wynn | June 1, 2018 | Lifestyle

A primary care physician can help you stay in control of your health — keeping you on track with your wellness goals, managing a chronic disease in coordination with a specialist and reminding you of recommended screenings. Your primary care physician (often called an internist or family practice doctor) should be someone you build a long-lasting relationship with; they are the person you trust to give you health advice and help you navigate all of your healthcare needs. If you need a specialist for a health condition, your primary care physician can refer you to a qualified doctor. And when your doctors are part of a connected network of physicians, such as Baptist Health Quality Network, your specialist and primary care physician will stay in communication, discussing your health and creating an individualized treatment plan that considers your overall health. If having this health partner isn’t reason enough, research shows that people who have a primary care physician live longer, healthier lives. If you don’t have a primary care physician, there’s no time like now to get one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
› Hector Delgado, D.O., is Medical Director of Primary Care for Baptist Health Quality Network, a collaboration between Baptist Health South Florida and physicians in the community; BaptistHealthQualityNetwork.net.

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