Primary Care Physician. Your primary care physician is your first stop on the path of good health. In general, you have only one primary care physician: your main, go-to doctor who’s responsible for your overall health and treatment. In the past, these physicians were known as family doctors or general practitioners. Today, they’re called primary care physicians, primary care providers or simply PCPs.
You schedule all your yearly physical exams and other preventative health care appointments with your local Manhattan primary care physician. This doctor works with you in the same manner a general practitioner once did — often using diagnostic skills to determine what you’re suffering from and if you’re at risk of developing future health problems. Your PCP provides your treatment options and recommends the best course of action to get you well and keep you healthy.
Your primary care physician serves your entire family, from your baby to your grandfather. As a generalist, your PCP can act as an internal medicine doctor, pediatrician or gynecologist whenever needed. An internist is trained in preventing, diagnosing and treating the most common medical conditions. Internists are doctors of internal medicine, occasionally referred to as the doctor’s doctor because other physicians turn to them when they’re seeking help on a difficult or baffling diagnosis.
Just like the family doctors of years past, you call your PCP first when you or a member of your family is feeling sick or has been hurt. If you wake up with the flu or your child has an earache, your primary care physician is more than ready to help you feel better and get your child back to school. Additionally, your primary care doctor can help you manage any chronic condition or illness you suffer from.