Types of Health Care
Primary Care Providers (PCP) are health care practitioners who see people that have common medical
problems. This person is usually a doctor, but may be a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner. Your
PCP is often involved in your care for a long time, so it is important to select someone with whom you
will work well.
A primary care provider is your main health care provider in non-emergency situations. Your PCP's role is
to: provide preventive care and teach healthy lifestyle choices; identify and treat common medical
conditions; assess the urgency of your medical problems and direct you to the best place for that care;
make referrals to medical specialists when necessary
Types of primary care providers are:
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Family practitioners -- doctors who have completed a family practice residency and are board
certified, or board eligible, for this specialty. The scope of their practice includes children and
adults of all ages and may include obstetrics and minor surgery.
Pediatricians -- doctors who have completed a pediatric residency and are board certified, or
board eligible, in this specialty. The scope of their practice includes the care of newborns,
infants, children, and adolescents.
Internists -- doctors who have completed a residency in internal medicine and are board
certified, or board eligible, in this specialty. The scope of their practice includes the care of
adults of all ages for many different medical problems.
Obstetricians/gynecologists -- doctors who have completed a residency and are board certified,
or board eligible, in this specialty. They often serve as a PCP for women, particularly those of
childbearing age.
Nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) -- practitioners who go through a
different training and certification process than doctors. They are often referred to as "physician
extenders." They may be your key contact in some practices. All PAs or NPs consult with
physicians.
What to look for when choosing a primary care provider:
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Is the office staff friendly and helpful? Is the office good about returning calls?
Are the office hours convenient to your schedule?
How easy is it to reach the provider? Does the provider use email?
Do you prefer a provider whose communication style is friendly and warm, or more formal?
Do you prefer a provider focused on disease treatment, or wellness and prevention?
Does the provider have a conservative or aggressive approach to treatment?
Does the provider order a lot of tests?
Does the provider refer to other specialists frequently or infrequently?
What do colleagues and patients say about the provider?
Emergency Rooms: These are located in your area hospital. Emergency rooms are used to treating lifethreatening symptoms, such as chest pains, symptoms of stroke, severe headaches, excessive bleeding
or vomiting. These services are open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.
Urgent Care: These services are for injuries or illnesses that are not life-threatening but require care
within a few hours or the same day. Appointments are usually not required and the wait time may not
be as long as in an Emergency Room. Urgent Cares treat common ailments and injuries such as:
lacerations requiring stitches; cuts and minor burns; broken bones and joint sprains; headaches; muscle,
joint, and back pain; asthma attacks; allergies; fevers, flu, coughs and colds; routine infections, such as
eye, ear, throat, sinus and bladder; stomach aches; sexually transmitted infections; emergency
contraceptive care; mild or moderate vaginal bleeding; skin irritation or skin infection; pediatric medical
problems including eye and ear infections.
Walk-In Clinics are available in some area stores, pharmacy stores, or shopping centers. Although each
Walk-in-Clinic can be different, some have doctors while others have a licensed nurse practitioner who
is specially trained for this type of work, has the power to write a prescription, and may be associated
with a physician or hospital. These services are intended to be convenient to the patient and each
chooses its own hours of operation. Most are intended to treat conditions such as upper respiratory and
sinus infections; bladder infections; strep throat, minor burns; muscle sprains; and skin conditions such
as warts or eczema. Some Walk-in-Clinics provide other services such as flu or tetanus vaccinations,
routine physicals for school or work, and pregnancy tests.
What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home?
The Patient-Centered Medical Home is a form of healthcare based on an ongoing, personal relationship
between a patient, doctor and the patient's care team. Whatever the medical needs – primary or
secondary, preventive care, acute care, chronic care, or end-of-life care – the patient has a medical
"home"; a single, trusted doctor and care team, through which continuous, comprehensive and
integrated care is provided.
The Patient-Centered Medical Home model includes a personal doctor and care team that will provide
medical care. When specialty care is needed, at the patient's request, the doctor and care team will
personally manage, facilitate and coordinate the care with appropriate qualified professionals, such as
hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies and related community resources.
The Patient-Centered Medical Home model can improve primary care by focusing on the patient-doctor
relationship and to strengthen this relationship through a more complete approach to patient care and
more active patient involvement.
Information for this article came from the following websites/articles:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001933.htm
http://www.bcbs.com/blueresources/wellness/patient-centered-medical-home/
http://ben.omb.delaware.gov/medical/documents/types_health_care_providers.pdf