Choosing a primary care provider

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Patient and doctor work together

Types of health care providers

Many insurance plans limit the providers you can choose from, or provide financial incentives for you to select from a specific list of providers. Make sure you know what your insurance covers before starting to narrow down your options.

When choosing a PCP, also consider the following:

• Is the office staff friendly and helpful? Is the office good about returning calls?
• 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?
• Does the provider invite you to be involved in your care? Does the provider view your patient-doctor relationship as a true partnership?

You can get referrals from:

• Friends, neighbors, or relatives
• State-level medical associations, nursing associations, and associations for physician assistants
• Your dentist, pharmacist, optometrist, previous provider, or other health professional
• Advocacy groups -- especially to help you find the best provider for a specific chronic condition or disability
• Many health plans, such as HMOs or PPOs, have websites, directories, or customer service staff who can help you select a PCP who is right for you

Another option is to request an appointment to "interview" a potential provider. There may be no cost to do this, or you may be charged a co-payment or other small fee. Some practices, particularly pediatric practice groups, may have an open house where you have an opportunity to meet several of the providers in that particular group.

If you do not currently have a primary health care provider and a health care problem arises, it is usually best to seek non-emergency care from an urgent care center rather than a hospital emergency room. This will often save you time and money. In recent years, many emergency rooms have expanded their services to include reasonably priced urgent care within the emergency room itself or an adjoining area -- to find out, call the hospital first.

Review Date: 11/15/2005
Reviewed By: Jonathan Harding, MD, CPE, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.