The Importance of a Primary Care Physician

Whether it is the outcome of the recent recession or the current turbulence in the economy that has led many on a cost-cutting spree or a perception that it saves time and effort to head straight to a specialist, there has been a dwindling in the number of patients visiting a primary care physician (PCP). It is obvious that these people have failed to realize the importance of a primary care physician. The importance of a primary care physician can be best understood by analyzing the contents of a white paper, How is a Shortage of Primary Care Physicians Affecting the Quality and Cost of Medical Care? by the American College of Physicians.

An ideal health care system should consist of 70% primary care physicians like family physicians, internists, and pediatricians, and 30% specialists. The importance of a primary care physician is manifest in these features of a society where the bulk of the medical professionals are PCPs:

• Improved Quality of Life: The importance of a primary care physician is easily established when you consider these research findings—regular visits to the PCP initiate more proactive health care measures and thus significantly bring down instances of emergency room visits and also improve the quality of life.

• Increased Productive Longevity: The importance of a primary care physician cannot be ignored simply because regular medical check-ups by a PCP have been shown to detect early warning signs of many a disease. Timely diagnosis increases the chances of an individual being able to lead a longer and a more productive life.

• Lower Health Care Costs: The importance of a primary care physician on this count not only stems from improved quality of life and increased productive longevity that regular visits lead to but also from the fact that a PCP is better able to coordinate chronic disease care.

Now that you are convinced of the importance of a primary care physician, you no longer have any excuse not to visit one. Schedule an appointment with us, at the PrimeMedical to enjoy a healthier life. Call us at 310-548-0201 today.

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