Primary care

A family physician is trained to treat the health care needs of men, women and children of all ages throughout their lives.

Family physicians provide a wide range of health services, including preventive care, obstetrics, routine gynecological care and pediatric services, as well as care for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Internal medicine doctors, also known as internists, are trained specifically to care for adults age 18 and older – both healthy individuals as well as those who have complex medical issues, such as diabetes and heart disease. 

It is not a building, a hospital or a home. It’s the way we provide care. It’s a team-based approach, led by your primary care physician, that focuses on you and your unique health care needs.

What can a patient-centered medical home do for you?

• Give you better, more personalized care, because your health care team knows you
• Guide you through the complex healthcare system to help you get the care you need, either from us or from others
• Offer you better access to care that is seamlessly coordinated between your doctor, hospitals and specialists.

Your health care team will partner with you to live a healthier life with preventive care rather than only reacting to sickness or injury. A medical home increases your access to care and manages your care within our office, hospitals, and your specialists.

• Practice preventative care rather than only reacting to illness or injury
• Give you a safe setting to talk about private concerns
• Work together with you, using shared decision making, to manage your health
• Serve as the quarterback of your broader provider team, managing your care both inside and outside the practice
• Keep you informed of the services offered within the practice
• Give you and your family personalized and proven medical care

Your role as a patient is to:

• Be an active member of your healthcare team
• Write down a list of concerns and questions so we can talk about them
• Give us a list of all your medications, including over-the-counter, so we can help prevent harmful interactions
• Call us before you go to an emergency room or hospital, or at least let us know as soon as possible that you’ve gone
• Make sure to tell other providers who your primary care provider is – and ask them to share the information from your visit with us
• Proactively take care of your health

Medical home

Visit your medical home for problems that need immediate attention, but are not life-threatening:

• Asthma
• Fever
• Flu
• Infections
• Injuries, sprains and cuts that need stitches
• Sore throat/cough
• Vomiting

And, as always, go to your medical home for:

• Yearly physicals and immunizations (as needed for wellness and prevention)
• Help managing chronic illnesses or conditions

Emergency room

Go to the emergency room when you or a family member could be faced with a life-threatening condition or injury that requires immediate medical care:

• After a seizure that lasts more than three minutes
• After a serious accident
• Experiencing chest pain
• When bleeding won’t stop
• When breathing is difficult

Wondering whether to go to the emergency room or to an urgent care location? Learn the differences between emergency and urgent care and when to seek each. When in doubt, call 911!