As you probably know by now, I practice family medicine. What you may not know is that family medicine is considered primary care, or more commonly, your primary doctor. Some of you reading this may think to yourself, that’s weird, my primary is an internist. Let me explain. Primary care is basically the primary provider you go to for care. This includes family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. If you still aren’t sure if you have a primary care provider (PCP), here are two questions to ask yourself:
• Did you have a physical or check up in the past year?
• Was that physical or check up scheduled ahead of time (not in Urgent Care or an emergency room)?
If you answered yes to both of those, good job. If you didn’t, let me tell you why we need to change that. Every office, clinic, hospital you go to is part of a healthcare system, just like the schools in town are part of the school system. Now, would you send a kid to high school before elementary school? No? So why go to the hospital when you have a cold?
Just like the school system, the healthcare system is designed to be used a certain way. It’s designed for you to have a doctor that knows all about you. It’s designed for you to have a place to go for check ups and anything that’s not an emergency. It’s designed for you to have a PCP.
But what if you never got sick in the first place? What if we could prevent it? That’s what primary care is all about. I enjoy all of my patients, but I really love doing physicals for teenagers and young adults. Why? Because that’s when I can help them build habits that keep them from needing diabetes or high blood pressure medicine in the future. And it’s an even better feeling when I get to help my older patients look and feel young by helping them keep their health in order. But it’s not just me, it’s a known fact that folks with good primary care are healthier than those that don’t have a PCP. Convinced yet?
If you need a PCP, just call your local family medicine or internal medicine offices and ask if they are taking new patients. If you have one and haven’t seen them yet this year, make an appointment. Either way, follow me on Facebook
(House Calls with Dr. B), TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter (@housecallsdrb) for more tips on living your best life. I’d also love to hear your questions for future articles!
Dr. Lance Braye, MD, MPH is a family medicine physician who practices in Prosperity, SC. He grew up in Walterboro, SC and attended Colleton County High School where he participated in band, football, and track. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, before attending the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While at MUSC, he took a year away from medical school to earn his Masters in Public Health in Health Behaviors and Health Promotion. After graduating from MUSC, he completed his residency in Family Medicine at Lawrence Family Medicine Residency in Lawrence, MA with a concentration in Health Systems Leadership. Professionally, Dr. Braye is interested in finding ways to improve the health system for all, addiction treatment, and nutrition. Personally, he loves sports, gardening, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Paris, and their cat, Obi.