What's a Primary Care Physcian?
To join a Health Maintenance Organization, you’ll be required to choose
a primary care physician from within your insurers’ network of health
care providers. Your Primary Care Physician will essentially be responsible
for managing your entire healthcare program. Primary Care Physicians are typically
family or general medical practitioners, internists, or pediatricians.
Even though you will always have access to every physician in your HMO Network,
you will need to get a referral from your primary care physician beforehand.
That means your Primary Care Physician will be an indispensable part of your
managed care plan – after all, your PCP will be the first doctor you
see whenever you have a medical problem.
4 Benefits Of Having A PCP
- Your PCP will be able to care for you as a whole person.
- Your PCP will get to know your family, lifestyle, habits, and your medical
history.
- Your Primary Care Physician will coordinate your healthcare—acting
as a kind of expert guide to your HMO.
- Your PCP is there to help you develop a personal health improvement program.
The time you invest in your relationship with your Primary Care Physician
when you’re healthy will pay off whenever you’re sick and need
medical care in a hurry. Establishing the right kind of relationship with
your primary physician will help ensure your family’s quality of care
and its peace of mind besides.
Unlike HMO’s, if you join a PPO or Preferred Provider Organization,
you usually won’t have to select a PCP. |
