Partner with a Primary Care Physician for Best Health

From Jason Little, CEO, Baptist Memorial Health Care

The large number of urgent care centers can make it easy to overlook the importance of having a primary care physician. Urgent care centers are a convenient option, but they cannot replace a physician who knows your medical history and can help you manage your good health. My family’s primary care physician gives me peace of mind because I know he has a handle on our personal medical history, as well as family medical issues. We trust his opinion and feel confident knowing his recommendations are based on thorough knowledge of our health needs and conditions.

Having a primary care physician brings many long-term benefits.

• It’s one of the most important ways you can take control of your health care, with regular visits for checkups and screenings.
• It’s the first call you can make when a non-life threatening illness or injury occurs.
• It provides access to specialists you may need to see by referral.
• It gives you a health partner you can talk to and trust.
• It provides continuity of care.
• If your primary care physician is part of Baptist Medical Group, you can have access to your medical records electronically through Baptist OneCare.

Your primary care physician gets to know your lifestyle choices and medical history as you age, providing a better understanding of your unique health needs. Correct lifestyle changes, screenings, vaccinations, and medications can be recommended easily and confidently. Additionally, a primary care physician offers preventive care and can monitor chronic conditions. By seeing you on an annual basis, early detection is also more likely. If something arises that your primary care physician can’t treat personally, he/she can make sure you see the correct doctors and help ensure you get the best procedures, treatments and follow-up care.

Baptist Medical Group, or BMG, is the Mid-South’s largest integrated not-for-profit multispecialty physician practice. More than 500 primary and specialty care experts in more than 42 specialties practice in West Tennessee, North Mississippi, and East Arkansas, so you can easily find the right physician for you and your family. BMG is patient-centered, physician-led, and professionally managed so you can feel confident in the quality of care you are receiving. In fact, Baptist Medical Group-Memphis Primary Care was recently recognized in a Stanford University study as one of 11 primary care practices in the nation delivering high-quality care at a low cost.

Have questions about how to find the best primary care physician for you and your family? Leave them in the comments below or send me a tweet at @Jason_M_Little.