Primary care doctors are on the front lines of healthcare, often the first entry point into the healthcare system for most patients. Think about it – whenever you are not feeling well, you don’t immediately make an appointment with a specialist. Partly because you don’t know which doctor to see, but mostly because you likely need a primary care doctor’s care.
Primary care doctors serve to be your first point of contact and health care coordinator, managing all your health concerns and eliminating the hassle and inconvenience of seeing a different doctor every time you experience symptoms.
Let’s explore how primary care providers serve their function to help patients live better and longer lives.
Primary Care Services
Primary care focuses on the patient’s needs for better health and well-being. The services that a primary care provider offers paints a picture of how comprehensive their services are. Primary care doctors get to know their patients and learn their medical history, family history, and other information that can help them design a personalized care plan with an emphasis on disease prevention.
Here are the services you can get at your primary care doctor’s clinic:
- Routine physical exams
- Diagnostics
- Treatment of a wide variety of illnesses and injuries
- Referrals to specialists for certain health conditions
- Chronic disease management
- Weight loss counseling
- Health screenings
Your primary care doctor will ask you what your priority is and what you want to achieve. Do you want to lose weight? Sleep better? Have more energy? Have better skin? Trust that the doctor will help you create and achieve your goals. Primary care is patient-focused care with an eye towards bettering patient health and well-being through lifelong support.
Disease prevention is an important aspect of primary care. Your primary care doctor can help reduce your risk of preventable diseases, which include diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers through weight loss programs and lifestyle counseling. Moreover, they also perform annual checkups, provide wellness visits, and recommend appropriate health screenings, which improve survivability, as early detection of disease gives patients better outcomes from treatment. Studies show that Americans who have a primary care doctor have lower odds of dying prematurely.
As mentioned earlier, should you need specialized care, your primary care doctor will connect you to the right specialist who can provide you the treatment you need and will work with them for continuity of care.
Primary Care Doctor in Irmo, SC
The breadth of services that a primary care doctor can provide is most advantageous to you if you want better health and well-being. The primary care providers at SC Internal Medicine Associates & Rehabilitation are internal medicine doctors trained and experienced in providing care to adults ages 18 and over. We offer a range of services, from diagnostic services to aesthetic treatments.
If you are ready to take advantage of the services a primary care doctor provides, make an appointment now. Call our clinic at (803) 749-1111 or use our appointment request form. We look forward to being your partner on your journey to better health and well-being.
