4 Reasons to Have a Primary Care Provider
Your health care is made up of more than just the sum of your ailments. As you age, your life, your body and your health experience change, and a family medicine doctor can be there to follow it all.
“I like to think of the family doctor as the gatekeeper to health care,” says Tracy Persily, DO, a Cooper Care Alliance family medicine physician. “We’re the ones to guide you through the health care system. No one should have to navigate it blindly or alone.”
Tracy Persily, DO, Family Medicine Physician
Cooper Care Alliance
1. Comprehensive Care
Primary care providers offer a continuity of care that allows patients to have access to consistent, personalized and comprehensive support at any age or stage of life.
“When you find yourself just going from specialist to specialist, or even just to urgent care when you need it, there are so many puzzle pieces that are bound to get lost,” says Dr. Persily.
Primary care providers can integrate information about family history, patient history and individual risk factors that can be the key to diagnosing an issue. This relationship enables a deeper understanding of a patient’s health over time, allowing the doctor to notice subtle changes in mood, stress levels or overall behavior that might indicate underlying issues.
“It’s so important to have a longterm relationship with someone you’re comfortable with who you can go to when you need help – someone who knows you, knows your history and can spot both major and minor changes that need to be addressed.”
2. Prioritizing Prevention
Having a primary care provider is essential for maintaining your health through preventative care.
“Often people will only go to a doctor when they’re sick,” says Stephanie Simonetti, an advanced practice nurse at Cooper Care Alliance. “When really, we want to prevent these sick visits to begin with. When you focus solely on treating illness, you can miss the opportunity to address potential health risks before they escalate.”
Most people see their yearly physical as no big deal, she says, which is why it can feel like “no big deal” to skip it. But most patients don’t understand just how much vital information your doctor gathers at that time.
“The best time to start a relationship with your provider is when you don’t need one, when you’re otherwise healthy,” says Simonetti. “This allows you to set a baseline for all of your health factors.”
Stephanie Simonetti, APN, Cooper Care Alliance
3. Chronic Disease Management
“Your primary care provider is often your first line of defense in maintaining control over long-term conditions to prevent severe complications,” says Dr. Persily.
Primary care providers play a pivotal role in helping patients manage conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma, ensuring that these health issues are carefully monitored and treated to minimize their impact on overall health.
“We see the whole picture – not just one condition at a time,” adds Dr. Persily. “This puts us in the position to help patients implement lifestyle changes, create medication regimens and continue regular monitoring to keep them healthy when dealing with a chronic disease.”
Familiarity with a patient’s medical history allows for tailored care instead of a trial-and-error approach.
“We can go back and say, ‘You know, last year you didn’t respond well to that, maybe let’s try something different,’” she says. “This helps prevent repetitive or ineffective treatments.”
4. Your First Stop
Need a specialist? Maybe not. You can likely go to your primary care provider first, says Simonetti.
“Primary care providers serve as a central point for managing acute pain and other immediate health concerns,” she says. “Think of us as air traffic control – we provide a trusted first contact for guidance, recommendations and treatment.”
Primary care providers address a wide range of acute issues. They can initiate treatments and, when necessary, refer patients to specialists.
“Having a family medicine provider ensures that when something does happen, you have someone at the ready to turn to,” Simonetti says. “When specialists’ wait times are too long, your primary care provider can offer interim care so you don’t go untreated for months. At Cooper, we often have same-day appointments available.”
“It’s important to all of us at Cooper,” adds Simonetti, “that you have a team behind you the second you need them.”
When you need care – NOW
The team at Cooper CareNow is ready to treat you 7 days a week, even if you’re miles away from their nearest office. Same day virtual appointments are available from 8 am to 8 pm to treat conditions that don’t require an emergency dept. visit. Even if you aren’t a current patient of a Cooper practice, you can use CareNow when you have an immediate concern, and the CareNow provider will send notes to your current primary care provider to keep them informed.
