Welcome back to Mount Sinai Queens’ brand new blog featuring useful news and tips to help you lead a healthier life. I am Dr. Sarah Van Wagner, a board-certified family medicine physician who works at Mount Sinai Queens’ Steinway Medical Group. Please remember that this information is not a substitute for direct medical advice.
You want to enter into a long-term relationship with your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Like any relationship, you should try to find the person that best meets your needs. As I mentioned in my last blog post – there are several different types of doctors who are PCPs:
- Family medicine specialists treat patients of all ages –infants to the elderly. Family doctors also take care of women’s health issues.
- Internal medicine physicians treat adult patients. If a woman selects an internist as her PCP, she also needs to have a gynecologist.
- Pediatricians take care of newborns, babies, children and teens.
- Obstetrician/Gynecologist specialize in taking care of women.
- Geriatric physicians concentrate on the health care of elderly people.
You can find a comprehensive list of types of physicians, including PCPs, and the definitions of their specialties here.
Your age, gender, and health concerns should help you determine the type of physician. After that, you can use the questions below to help you find your physician match – a lasting relationship built on trust and open communication.
- Do you have insurance? If so, get a list of in-network physicians from your carrier. It will probably save you money AND reduce paperwork if you find a physician that your insurance company has already approved.
- Do you prefer a male or female physician?
- Is the doctor’s office convenient? Is it close by or easily accessible by available transportation? Do you prefer a location close to home or work?
- Do you need the physician or practice to speak a particular language?
- How does the doctor communicate with patients? Email? Phone only? You can find out from the office staff how long it generally takes for the doctor to return a phone call or email.
- Does a physician or practice have a particular area of interest?
Ask trusted friends, co-workers and family members for recommendations. There are also on-line resources that rate physicians and include comments from patients. You can visit www.mshq.org/FAD for a list Mount Sinai Queens primary care physicians. These listings include office location and phone number, office hours, languages spoken and more.
Thanks for joining me. Please post your questions and comments; I will be reviewing them frequently. My next entry will focus on The Three-Legged Stool of Well Being.