What Does a Primary Care Doctor Treat?

A primary care physician (PCP) refers to a doctor who serves as the first line of contact for every health-related concern their patients have, with the exception of life-threatening medical emergencies. In addition to providing initial care for patients’ medical needs, primary care physicians are also the primary point of contact for follow-up care after any hospitalizations, stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), or visits to the emergency room. In this way, primary care physicians provide comprehensive care to their patients, including treatment for various illnesses and injuries, management of chronic conditions, preventive healthcare, and more.

Primary care physicians provide numerous benefits! These benefits are practical, convenient, and can significantly contribute to your overall health. In terms of practicality and convenience, primary care physicians provide consistency, reliability, and save you from relying on a rotating cast of physicians and practitioners at urgent care or walk-in clinics. Whether you need a referral, prescription medication, medical attention for various symptoms or concerns, or treatment for an illness, your primary care physician can help with every medical need you have.

Your primary care physician can also provide tangible benefits to your health, including both disease prevention and health promotion. As you develop your medical relationship with your primary care physician, they will have more knowledge about your healthcare needs, as well as more insight into any abnormalities and potential signs of disease, which can allow for quicker diagnosis and treatment should you become ill. They can also improve your current health by supplementing any nutritional deficiencies discovered through testing, recommend lifestyle changes that could improve your health, and more.

Since primary care aims to provide comprehensive medical care to patients, doctors who specialize in a particular area or function in the body are not typically primary care doctors. Instead, most primary care doctors have more general training and expertise, such as family medicine doctors, internists, general practitioners (GPs), or pediatricians. The answer to which doctor is best for primary care depends on the patient’s particular healthcare needs. As such, family medicine doctors may be best if you have a family, while internal medicine doctors or general practitioners may be best if you are a single adult with no children. That said, family medicine doctors, internists, GPs, and pediatricians can all provide excellent primary care services.

The cost of a primary care visit varies according to several different factors, including the services rendered at the visit, the clinic location, specialty or expertise of the physician, and more. As such, there is no set rate for a primary care visit. That said, it is all but guaranteed to be less expensive than a visit to the emergency room. For our specific prices and rates at Dr. Pedro Ylisastigui MD, please feel free to call us at the clinic in Lehigh Acres FL.

Since primary care doctors provide comprehensive medical care to their patients, the range of conditions and injuries they treat is quite broad! With that in mind, the following is a list of examples that primary care doctors can treat:

• Acute illnesses and injuries
• Allergic reactions
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Bladder infections
• Bronchitis
• Cold and flu
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Rashes and skin infections
• Repetitive strain injuries
• Sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDs and STIs)
• Upper and lower respiratory infections
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Wound care
• And more!

For more information, call us today or schedule an appointment online! We are conveniently located at 1150 Lee Blvd. #4 Lehigh Acres, FL 33936 and surrounding areas! We serve patients from Lehigh Acres FL, Fort Myers FL, Gateway FL, Alva FL, Buckingham FL, Tice FL, Villas FL, Cape Coral FL, Matlacha FL, and Suncoast Estates FL.