What is a primary care physician?

Question

Are primary care physicians the doctors whom we see in the hospitals when we are sick(for example when we have headache or stomachache)??


Doctors who do surgery are not primary care physician????


If one graduates from medical primary care school(not medical research school), he would probably become a primary care physician??He can't be a surgeon unless he graduates from a research school??????


I hope someone can answer my questions.....Thank You.....

Answer 1

A Primary care physician (PCP) is the doctor you go to see for everything. - Your "family doctor" if you will. They decide if you need to go see a specialist for something. For example if you have extreme allergies and your PCP can't find what you are allergic to he/she might send you to a specialist (Allergist).

There are some exceptions to this. Women do not need to see her PCP when they need to go to a OB or GYN.

The concept of a PCP came with Managed Care and HMO's. A lot of people would go directly to specialists when they had a problem, that charged insurance companies a lot of money, for something that could have been taken care of by an internist or general practitioner. Example: I have a tummy ache and I go to a gastroenterologist. - Meanwhile, all I needed was some Tums. Now my primary may choose to send me to a specialist in this case, if after he examines me, he/she wishes to run more tests, but that is usually after conventional methods are used first.

Keep in mind with this that not all primaries can be surgeons. Being a surgeon is a specialty, like a dermatologist, ophthalmologists etc... They have been through the basic study course of general practitioners and then spent more years to specialize in their field.

A surgeon can be a primary, but they will probably choose not to be one, since it would take away time in the OR. When I had gallstones my PCP diagnosed me, refered me to a surgeon to have my gallbladder removed.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

A primary care physician is a designation used by insurance companys to keep costs down. Any regular MD/family practice or pediatrician (depending on age of patient) can be designated as a primary care physician if they are participating in your insurance plan. The clinic you usually attend can tell you if they are participating with your insurance plan, or your insurance plan 800 number can give you names of doctors in your area that they approve. The designation has nothing to do with qualifications, more to do with money. A surgeon, as you mentioned, cannot be a primary care physician because they are not the physician you would see for a sinus infection, bunions, or any other regular ailment. They are a specialist. they have had specific medical training and internship specifically for surgery. A primary care physician will refer you (or tell you and your insurance company) that you have a special medical problem that they cannot diagnose or treat because it requires a specialist. That informs your insurance company that you require special care from a more expensive type of doctor. This is designed to keep insurance rates down, by keeping people from consulting a podiatrist every time their foot hurts, or an ear nose and throat specialist for a cold or viral infection that could be handled by a regular doctor at your clinic. Both doctors may have attended the same school, although the surgeon may have attended additional years or interned in a different place under the tutelage of surgeons.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

A Primary Care Physician is the doctor you will see when you are on a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) program. This is the doctor who will give you a referral to see a specialist...depending what type of medical problem you may have.

Answer 5

A primary care physician (PCP) is your general medical doctor, meaning the one you visit regularly for check-ups. A hospitalist is a doctor who works at the hospital only and does not do private practice. Then, there are also specialists.

Answer 6

Primary Care Physician or your PCP is the primary doctor that you go to for your regular doctor visits, not the ER doctor or the clinic doctor. He is also will be the one that is listed on your insurance if you have one.

Answer 7

i primary care physician is a doctor who works in his own office and you see him when ever you have a problem. if its something simple he will take care of it if it is too complex he will refer you to a specialist. some insurances require you to see the pcp first no matter what or they wont pay. i actually dont have a php right now but i do have a family doc and a obstetrician/gynecologist and a midwife. i dont think phps work in the hospital at all or do surgery or anything.

Answer 8

Remember: 1/2 of the graduating class is in the bottom 50%. Lots of doctors quit practicing because of the cost of malpractice insurance. Two I know moved to California one became a prison doctor and the other went into medical research. Family physicians don't go to hospitals, they send their patients to doctors that have hospital privileges. Another doctor I know just quit accepting insurance, patients pay him directly; he got fed up with insurance company regulations. With good use of physician assistants, lower medical school costs, fewer malpractice 'diagnostic' tests and lower malpractice insurance costs doctors will become available. Doctors will go back into medicine, doctors will come out of the military and more doctors will graduate than lawyers. The system works well everywhere else in the world.

Answer 9

A primary care giver is the person giving the care, hands on. Like a parent, or a nurses aide. A primary physican is your family doctor, not an ER doctor or a sugeon. Your doctor that does most of the day- to-day care (or they days when you need a doctor).

Answer 10

a primary care physician is the doctor that you go to for all your normal problems, like routine health exams-like the same doctor you always went to when you were a kid-no matter what the ailment. They do general practice, sometimes specialize in one area, like pediatrics or women's health.