Emergency rooms and urgent care facilities are labeled as such for a reason. Many people turn to the ER for the treatment of complaints that a primary care provider should have handled. When you visit a different doctor every time you feel bad, you will find that the new provider has no knowledge of your medical history or family history; and no record of the medications you take on a daily basis. While there are wonderful benefits to having somewhere to turn when your regular provider is unavailable (after hours, emergencies), there are cues that your primary care provider might recognize as being peculiar and irregular compared to your previous visits. Yet, these things may go unnoticed altogether by a brand new provider. A regular, routine relationship with one provider can have a wealth of benefits, in spite of the few drawbacks that arise from time to time.
Let’s go on a journey… First, we will look at “Mrs. Hollis.” She has been to the ER three times over the last six months, periodically complaining of facial pain. Each time she goes, she receives treatment to manage her symptoms and is advised to follow up with a specialist for further evaluation. Mrs. Hollis goes home, feels better for a while, and does not seek the specialist’s care because she feels fine again. If she had a regular doctor, they might have been able to follow up with her to stress the importance of addressing the underlying issue.
Next, look at “Mr. Carlson,” who visits an urgent care for his persistent cough. Later, he visits a different urgent care when he begins to have more serious complications with his breathing. Though these symptoms seem to be fairly tame and easy to treat, what Mr. Carlson doesn’t know is that he is in the early stages of emphysema. Emphysema is a progressive lung disease that his primary care provider may easily recognize since a pattern is developing each time Mr. Carlson comes in. Knowing that he is a smoker, his primary care provider would explain how the emphysema is exacerbated by his smoking and that he needs to quit immediately, or it could significantly shorten his life expectancy. Instead, Mr. Carlson leaves the urgent care with another antibiotic and an inhaler. His emphysema goes undiagnosed. Routine visits with a primary care provider could mean a proper diagnosis and could keep his emphysema from progressing too quickly.
Last, let’s look at “Mr. Foster.” He has hyperlipidemia (or high cholesterol). He drops in to see a random doctor who diagnoses his problem and gives him medication to help keep it under control. After taking this medication for six months, he runs out and calls the doctor’s office asking for a refill. Without a visit, the prescription is called in. Sadly, Mr. Foster has been experiencing muscle aches for some time but has not connected the dots that the muscle discomfort is caused by his medication. Higher doses of certain medications can, in some circumstances, cause serious side effects. Over time, these side effects can have irreversible effects and could seriously impact his health. If Mr. Foster were seeing a primary care provider, the doctor would check his overall health routinely and would ask how he is tolerating the medication before refilling his prescription. Upon learning about Mr. Foster’s muscle complaints, the doctor could decide if his dose needs to be adjusted or if he needs to switch to a different medication.
Having a regular doctor means that someone is considering your overall health and talking to you about your optimum, long-term goals. Your preventive health screenings help to catch things early while they are small, easily treated, and inexpensive. Your doctor is able to “keep an eye” on you in between visits to specialists to ensure that you are not prescribed conflicting medications and to help maintain the continuity of care between professionals. Think of it like this: You can be out at sea on a boat all alone trying to chart your own course, or you can have a crew with you working to make sure you reach your destination.
In spite of the good reasons to find a regular doctor, some people would rather take their chances and play the odds with their health. There is a percentage of the patient population who prefer to see random providers. They don’t want to address the concerns of losing weight, stopping smoking, or changing their lifestyle. Some simply believe that they don’t need care until they are already sick. Others live their lives hoping that they will never have to face the consequences of their poor choices.
Even if you are rarely sick, it is good to have an annual wellness physical once a year to get a bird ’ s-eye view of your overall health, comparing test results from year to year. This allows you to see where there may be an improvement or decline over time. Yearly lab results can give you the information necessary to make simple lifestyle changes before a problem occurs or can indicate the need to continue with improvements you’ve already made in the past.
I have included links below for other articles related to this topic that may be of interest to you: