Top Primary Care Physician in Mineola, Melville, and Jericho, NY

Primary care physicians can refer to doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants. As such, it’s helpful to know the difference between doctors and primary care physicians, since not all primary care physicians are doctors.

A primary care physician is a medical professional who provides the first point of contact and continuing care for patients. So, if you are concerned about an illness or injury, your primary care physician is the first person you would go to. From there, they can refer you to specialists, prescribe medication, recommend lifestyle changes, or order testing. As part of their continuing care for you, they also monitor chronic conditions, follow up with you after hospitalizations and injuries, and provide preventive health care.

Doctors can refer to specialists, surgeons, psychiatrists, emergency room doctors, primary care physicians, and many other fields of expertise. As such, a primary care physician is a specific type of doctor or health care professional, while the doctor is an umbrella term that can imply many different specialties. Primary care physicians can specialize in pediatric medicine, internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and other medical disciplines that encompass general medical needs.

There are several reasons why it is important to have a primary care physician. First, it’s helpful to have a medical professional who intimately knows your medical history and concerns. With this intimate knowledge, they can know what signs to look for if something is awry. As such, this allows for earlier detection and prompt treatment of serious illnesses.

Another benefit of having a primary care physician is the help they can provide in navigating the medical world. When you have to rely on emergency room or urgent care doctors for getting referrals or testing done, it can sometimes be difficult to receive appropriate care. In contrast, primary care physicians often function as gatekeepers to the world of specialized medical care. They can also help you save money by only recommending specialized medical care when necessary.

Primary care covers a variety of different services. These include:

• Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common illnesses and injuries
• Writing and refilling prescriptions
• Referrals to specialists and coordination with other healthcare facilities
• Management and monitoring of chronic injuries and conditions
• Palliative and end-of-life health care
• Preventive medicine and health promotion
• Care for minor emergencies
• Rehabilitation from injuries and illnesses
• Basic mental health care
• Ordering and conducting screening and testing for various illnesses and conditions

Finding a primary care physician can sometimes be a difficult choice. With this choice, you’re entrusting your health care into the hands of a stranger, no matter how qualified they may be. As such, it’s important to ask them questions about how they will provide care for you. Some questions like, “How do you approach the patient and physician partnership?” or “How much experience do you have as a primary care physician?” can help you be more comfortable with the decisions you make.

It’s also a good idea to make a list of priorities for what you want in a primary care physician. With this list of priorities, you can identify which responses to your questions are red flags and which are signs that the primary care physician is a good fit for you.

If you’re looking for a primary care physician in Mineola, Melville, Jericho, NY, and surrounding areas, we welcome you to schedule a consultation with our primary care physician at Northeast Primary Care! Contact us today for more information about our services or schedule a consultation with us through our website. We have convenient locations to serve you in Mineola, NY, Melville, NY and Jericho, NY. We serve patients from Mineola NY, Melville NY, Jericho NY, Floral Park NY, East Meadow NY, Westbury NY, Huntington NY, Farmingdale NY, Commack NY, Plainview NY, Levittown NY, and surrounding areas.