What is the role of a primary care doctor?
With the new health reform, the role of the primary care physician has become more important than ever. Today medical standards rely on wellness care and health management, more than per service attention. A primary care physician evaluates your health and works to improve your quality of life. That means avoiding or managing chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.
The approach to health care is a coordinated one with the primary care physician leading the team. He might send you to a dietician to help control your food intake, a physical therapist to deal with chronic pain or a counselor to handle stress. All of these specialists would report back to the primary care doctor.
Who do you call if you get sick?
That is the reason primary care physicians exist. They have the generalized expertise to handle any medical situation. They assess your needs and either provide treatment or recommend a specialist. It is the primary care doctor that manages your overall health care needs.
Who deals with the insurance company?
Most insurance companies expect you to see a primary care physician when you have a problem. This allows them to deal with one doctor for medical management. The insurance company will receive bills from any medical practice on your care team, but may only pay if the primary care physician authorized the consultation and treatment.
Insurance companies look for coordinated care and rely on the primary care physician to manage it as the team leader.