The word “primary” means principal, foremost, and important. As it applies to healthcare, primary encompasses all those characteristics and more. Your primary care provider (PCP) delivers the preventive and restorative care you need to be healthy.
Let’s look into what primary healthcare in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, FL, means for you.
Primary Healthcare Is the Go-to for Diagnosis and Treatment
Your PCP provides the tests, assessments, and treatments needed for acute and chronic health conditions. Primary healthcare from a family doctor, internist, or other physician involves:
- Your yearly physical health
- Vaccinations
- Routine and special lab work
- Screenings for cancer, diabetes, hearing and vision problems, mental health issues, etc.
- Treatment of acute illnesses, such as the flu, pneumonia, skin, ear, urinary tract, eye infections, and other conditions
- Management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, allergies, hyper-and hypothyroidism, and acid reflux disease
- Treatment of injuries, such as burns, lacerations, sprains, strains, insect bites, etc.
Primary Healthcare Provides Health Screening, Preventive Services, and Education
With aging, heredity and lifestyle choices develop health problems that can be cured or successfully managed if detected early. That’s where a primary care doctor in Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch, Florida, comes in to check you for diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, prostate cancer, anemia, and more. This doctor knows your personal medical history and also keeps your genetics and family dynamics in mind. He or she will not only order the right screening and diagnostic tests when you need them (PSA for men 55 and over), but also counsels you to keep you healthy.
Primary healthcare delivers a wealth of information on nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, alcohol consumption, and risks to mental health, such as stress. As your medical home, the primary care practice maintains your medical record and is available to answer your questions and concerns related to health and wellness matters.
Primary Healthcare Heads Your Medical Team
If you need specialty care from a cardiologist, orthopedic surgeon, or other secondary health care provider, your PCP provides the referral to the right doctor and also:
- Delivers your medical record to the specialist and other providers as needed
- Helps you understand the specialist’s recommendations
- Follows up with you after surgery, hospitalization, or invasive procedures, such as chemotherapy for cancer
- Delivers your routine care, including preventive screenings, vaccines, acute illness treatments, and prescription medications, as you receive treatment from a secondary provider, such as a cardiologist or oncologist
Intercoastal Medical Group Is the Gold Standard in Primary Care
While we have many secondary care specialists on staff in our 10 locations, our passion is primary care for patients of all ages in Sarasota and the Lakewood Ranch area. We feature an onsite urgent care for those off-hour illnesses and injuries, we offer an array of imaging services such as MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, and mammography. We even perform outpatient procedures at our state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center.
Please visit our website to find the location and primary care doctor nearest to you, and call us for a consultation. Alternatively, request an appointment online. We look forward to helping you achieve and maintain your healthiest self.
