Tips for choosing a primary care physician

The start of a new year often brings new resolutions for many people. While the resolutions vary, many focus on improving health – losing weight, eating healthier, ditching a bad habit, lowering cholesterol, and more.

The start of 2014 also brings the opportunity for thousands of people in Michigan to have new medical insurance. With the launch of the Affordable Care Act, many Michigan residents will be visiting the doctor for the first time in years, or ever.

If you’re someone who has new insurance, one of the first doctors you should visit is a primary care physician. Your primary care physician, or PCP, serves as the central coordinator of your care. Your PCP also can facilitate care with other health providers you may need to visit for care, such as specialists, hospitals, urgent care facilities and home health care.

These quick tips can help you find the right doctor for a lasting, healthy relationship.

1. You can ask your family and friends for recommendations, although keep in mind they may have different needs and criteria than you. You can also visit a local hospital’s website to find a physician in your area – many have a ‘Find a Physician’ tab on the homepage. A practice designated as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) places the focus on building relationships with patients. PCMH is not a building but a team-based health care concept that includes the primary care physician as the central coordinator of care to ensure communication and coordination with specialists, hospitals, nutritionists, social workers, home health agencies and others on behalf of the patient. Focus is placed on wellness, disease management, preventative care and the individual patient’s health goals. The PCMH model promotes a team approach between doctor and patient so you’re an active participant in your own health. There are more than 3,000 PCMH physicians in Michigan.
2. Ensure that the practice offers open/available office times for you to get in quickly if you’re sick. Also find out if there is an after-hours phone number to call should you get sick in the evening or on the weekend. This can limit unnecessary and costly trips to the emergency department.
3. Make sure the physician takes your insurance plan. Having a physician considered ‘in network’ by your insurance plan can save a lot of money versus going to an ‘out of network’ physician. You can usually search on your insurance provider’s website or call the insurance provider and/or physician’s practice to ask.
4. Your primary care physician is your partner in your health. You want to feel comfortable speaking about personal health issues and be able to develop a long-term, trusting relationship with your physician. She or he should encourage you to be an active participant in your health care and explain treatments, tests and results.
5. Don’t wait until you’re sick to find the right doctor. Schedule an appointment for a complete physical exam to establish a baseline of your health indicators (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc). These baselines help your doctor notice any changes and provide guidance in making any necessary alterations to your lifestyle. For instance, if you have high cholesterol, your doctor can give recommendations on how to change your diet and increase activity to help lower cholesterol rather than take medication.

Read previously published blog articles from our physician members.

Contributed by: The Physician Alliance, a physician organization representing more than 2,100 primary care and specialty physicians in southeast Michigan.