If you are in Houston Texas, and have been trying to select the best primary care physician in Houston for your family, it’s likely that you know there are a lot of options. This can make the decision even harder.
Selecting a physician for your loved ones can rely on in an important choice you should make with care and consideration. If you are looking for the best physician to choose, here are some pertinent information and tips that can help you make your decision with confidence.
What is Primary Care Physician?
To pick a doctor for your family you first need to know what a primary care physician (PCP) is. Your primary care provider is the doctor your family will see in all cases of non-emergent illness or injury. Your family relies on this person for preventative care such as vaccinations.
The medical professional you choose to provide services to your loved ones is usually a family medicine doctor or general practitioner. This type of doctor works with patients of all ages, from children to the elderly, which makes it easy and convenient for your whole family to receive treatment in one convenient location.
In most cases, your PCP will treat illnesses and injuries on site in their own office. If your condition is severe and your doctor determines you need treatment for an issue that is well outside his or her area of expertise, they will likely refer you specialist. A specialist is just a doctor who focuses on specific areas of medicine such as a foot doctor or a stomach doctor.
Types of Primary Care Physician
The type of family doctor you select for you and your loved ones depends on your personal needs, preferences, location, and insurance. Family Doctors are convenient, but they aren’t the solution for everyone. You may need to select multiple care providers for your family based on the needs of individual members. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the types of PCP and what they specialize in.
Nurse Practitioner or PA (Physician’s Assistant)
They trained in most basic illnesses, injuries, and treatments. NP and PA have the ability to administer, diagnose, and provide treatment for most basic conditions. They are “overseen” by a physician in the same office.
Family Practice Doctor (Family Medicine) or General Practice Doctor
These types of PCP providers are trained to treat everyone from infants to the elderly from one office location. These are commonly referred to as a family doctor.
Pediatricians
These are doctors that specifically work with infants and children through their teen years. They do not treat adults.
Internist
Doctors that provide “Internal Medicine” care work specifically with adult bodies and are do not work with children. Basically, an internal medicine expert the reverse of a pediatrician.
Obstetricians and Gynecologists
These providers deal exclusively with women’s health issues such as reproductive health. However, most insurances count them as PCP providers on policies that provide coverage for feminine health related issues and during pregnancy and related treatments.
Finding the Best Primary Care Physician in Houston TX
Now that you have already known what a care provider is and have some information about the different varieties. Now, it’s time to put that information to work and select the best primary care physician in Houston that is the right match. Here are some tips to make the decision process as painless as possible.
Evaluate the Needs of Your Family First
No two families are the same and the doctor or family medicine specialists you select will depend on the needs of the people in your individual family. If all members of your household are relatively healthy and no one has any serious or specific medical conditions, a family medicine doctor may be a convenient option.
If you have multiple young children who will be receiving ongoing preventative care and treatment, you may decide creating a relationship with a pediatrician is the way you want to go.
Consider What Matters to You
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the medical care provider you ultimately choose. Comparing the answers to these questions against the medical centers can help you narrow down the search and make your decision a bit clearer.
- Are you willing to travel or are you looking for an family medicine office that is closer to home?
- Are the hours of operation easy enough to fit into my family’s schedule?
- Who will treat you? (As in, will you see a nurse each visit or a physician?)
- Do you have friends of family that have positive experiences with the provider?
- What’s the in-office feel? Is it casual and friendly or more on the formal side of things?
- Does the provider tend to treat aggressively or take a more delayed holistic approach?
- Does this care physician tend to try and treat conditions in office or are they quick to refer patients to specialists. ?
- Does your potential care physician offer urgent care for minor emergent illnesses that aren’t significant enough to warrant a hospital visit?
- Do they accept walk-ins or only scheduled appointments?
- Are they accepting new patients?
Take Final Decision
These are some of the basic points to consider when evaluating some of the family medicine care physicians located in Houston. Once you have the answers to these questions you can easily evaluate each medical center narrow down the options by weeding out providers that do not align with your preferences.
The Bottom Line
Considering your options is really the most valuable tip to take away during this process. Do not let anyone force you into a quick decision. It’s also imperative to remember that you can change your mind at any time.
This is not a decision you make for life, you are not marrying your PCP. If you pick your physician, start seeing them, and decide they are not a good fit – you can go through the process of picking someone else.
You are your own advocate when it comes to your primary care physician and your health, so don’t settle for subpar care especially when you have so many choices to consider as the best primary care physicians in Houston TX.
Also, read more primary care physician in Katy TX.
