As an adult, your to-do list is probably filled to the max. Between work, family, errands and everything else competing for your time, scheduling a doctor’s appointment may not feel urgent, especially if you feel fine. But annual checkups are not just for kids or people who are already sick.
The truth is that people of all ages should see a primary care provider (PCP) regularly for well-person checkups. These visits give you a chance to ask questions, stay on top of preventive care and catch health concerns before they become harder to manage.
What Is Primary Care?
Primary care isn’t only about seeing a doctor when you’re sick. This field of medicine covers your overall health and includes both the prevention and treatment of illnesses.
Prioritizing primary care means staying on top of vaccinations, routine health screenings and health education, so you have a clearer picture of your health before a problem becomes urgent.
What Does a Primary Care Doctor Do?
Primary care can be provided by a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant. These professionals all fall under the umbrella term “primary care provider.” They can do a little bit of everything, including ordering tests to track important health numbers, such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and referring you to a specialist when needed.
The most important thing your PCP offers is continuity: the ability to work with you over time to create and adjust a custom health plan for your preventive care.
“These preventive and annual health exams are the cornerstones to preventing chronic medical conditions,” said Dr. Suhaib Haq, a family medicine physician with University Health. “If not prevented or diagnosed early, those conditions can lead to a lower quality of life, a shorter life span and disability.”
How Often Should You See a Primary Care Provider?
Health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend “regular” checkups for both children and adults.
For most people, seeing a PCP once a year is a good place to start. Most insurance providers cover an annual well-person checkup at no cost, though you should check your insurance provider to see what your plan offers.
That standard applies to people of all ages, including young adults with no known health problems. If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic health issue, like diabetes or depression, your provider may recommend more frequent visits, such as every six months or even quarterly.
Four Benefits of Having a PCP
Now you know why you should see your doctor on a basic level, but there are other benefits to seeing your PCP regularly.
- A PCP can help you stay up to date with the appropriate vaccines. During a checkup, your provider will review your medical history and talk with you about screenings and immunizations recommended based on your age, sex and risk factors.
What some people may not know is that vaccine recommendations can change based on your age, health history, job, travel plans and other risk factors. With so much information to sort through, your primary care doctor can help you understand which vaccines are recommended for you and why.
- Your primary care provider can help you streamline healthcare. In some cases, you may be referred to multiple specialists. Your primary care provider can help make sure the doctors you see have the information they need and that their recommendations align with your overall health goals.
“I may see a patient who has three different specialists, but I am the one person who is keeping track of what all these specialists are doing for the patient,” says Dr. Monika Kapur, a family practice physician and president of University Medicine Associates. “I am looking at the person as a whole and not just their heart or their kidney, and that’s why I recommend patients have a primary care provider.”
In addition to making sure your other doctors communicate, if you are waiting for a specialist or would like to be checked on in between appointments, your PCP can also help manage chronic conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Your PCP can help you sort through online trends. If you’ve searched Google, asked ChatGPT, scrolled through a trending health topic on social media, or looked to a Reddit forum for answers, your PCP can help guide you down the right path and avoid self-diagnosing.
When you have an established relationship with a PCP, you can ask those questions at your appointment, over the phone and sometimes through a patient portal. That’s true even for questions you find embarrassing or too personal.
This can be especially helpful when you are deciding whether to take a vitamin, try a new workout, follow a wellness trend or worry about something you saw online. The internet can make every symptom feel urgent and every trend sounds promising, but your PCP can help you understand what is credible, what may not be safe and what actually makes sense for your health.
- Your PCP can help you get connected to resources. A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that only 7.2% of adults age 35 and older received all recommended preventive care in 2022. Sometimes, staying on top of your health is not just about knowing what care you need. It is also about having the support to follow through.
Your PCP can help identify barriers that may affect your health, such as transportation, access to nutritious food or mental health concerns, and connect you with resources that fit your needs. For example, they may recommend local transportation resources, food assistance support or the right type of mental health professional based on what you are experiencing.
How to Find a Primary Care Provider
Finding a primary care provider may feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! As a kid, you might have been seen by a pediatrician, a doctor who specializes in kids from birth to age 18. If not a pediatrician, you might have seen a family medicine doctor or provider, who sees patients of all ages.
Think of this first appointment as a starting point. It gives you a chance to talk about your health goals, ask questions and decide whether that provider feels like someone you can trust over time.
One of the biggest barriers to adults visiting their PCP is a lack of time. If you have a family, Dr. Haq recommends choosing a family medicine provider to see the entire family.
“Having one doctor for the family can help with time,” said Dr. Haq. “This way, a parent can coordinate their annual checkup with their child’s appointment. You can knock out both visits on the same day.”
If you don’t have a kid, you can also choose an internal medicine doctor. This doctor only sees patients who are 18 or older.
To find the right provider, start by checking out the providers listed on a hospital or health system website, such as the University’s Health Find a Doctor tool.
Through those listings, you can filter the results by specialty, location, language, and gender. Once you identify a handful of potential providers, dig a little deeper to determine whether they’re part of your insurance network.
Remember that scheduling a first appointment with a primary care provider doesn’t mean you’re committed to a long-term relationship. If a PCP doesn’t seem to be a good fit, visit another one. It may take some trial and error to find one you’re comfortable with.
Primary Care at University Health
Taking care of your health starts with having a trusted primary care team by your side. Schedule an appointment with University Health today.
Our primary care physicians and providers focus on preventive care, routine checkups, treatment for illnesses and support for managing long-term conditions for patients of all ages.
Beyond the exam room, we offer resources designed to help you stay healthy and connected to your care, including telemedicine visits, mobile family health services, free health risk assessments and easy access to your health information through MyChart.
