Top Rated Primary Care Clinic in Portsmouth, Newington NH

Family medicine and primary care are somewhat the same but have their differences. Primary care involves care for mainly adults, and doctors in this field specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. They are trained to offer care for a number of health conditions and to counsel their patients on prevention and overall wellness. Family medicine involves care for people of all ages – from newborns right through to the elderly. Care provided covers four main branches of medicine: geriatrics, adult medicine, pediatrics, and adolescent medicine. Family medicine doctors typically care for the same patient throughout their lives, and in lots of cases, care for multiple generations of family members at the same time. Primary care includes all the services that you receive for your basic everyday health needs and is often like your front door to your healthcare needs; that is, your entry point into the healthcare system. It might involve a visit to the family doctor, a therapist, or Urgent care.

It’s better to prevent an illness than it is to have to treat it, and this is why regular visits to your primary care physician are important. A primary care provider will evaluate your risk factors for a variety of medical conditions and help screen for cancer and other diseases. They may also assess your lifestyle habits and offer tips to stay healthy that may reduce your risk of chronic illnesses or life-threatening diseases. You should go for check-ups once every 3 years if you are under 50 and in good health; it is suggested to go once a year after you turn 50. If you have a chronic disease, like COPD or diabetes, for example, you will need to see your doctor more frequently.

Regular checkups have their benefits too:

• You will discover new ways to live a healthy, longer life and improve your overall health.
• You will develop and maintain an open and honest relationship with your doctor.
• You will receive regular monitoring of current health issues.
• You will receive early treatment for health conditions, which helps increase the odds of a good outcome.
• You will be informed of potentially life-threatening issues before they cause a problem, and you will be advised on the best treatments – medication, and lifestyle changes.

There is a difference between urgent care and primary care, however, in both instances, you have access to care when needed. Urgent care clinics support patients who are experiencing urgent medical conditions, and they help patients who are not able to wait for an appointment with their family doctor. Urgent care clinics are also open much longer, in some cases 24/7, and were founded on a walk-in culture. Primary care involves your private doctor who typically knows your medical history and other conditions you have suffered from in the past, and they have access to your medical records and are able to make educated conclusions when you come down with certain symptoms, which is important when managing chronic conditions. Primary care is your home-based for all-things illness or chronic condition management, and you normally need to book an appointment.

If you don’t have a primary care provider, then you should get one. They are your primary care physician who knows you as the whole person and they help ensure that your overall treatment is right and tailored for you. You may need a referral for primary care, but you should seek out which ones are accepting new patients. In the event you need more specific care, your primary care physician may refer you to a specialized doctor for further treatments.
 
Call us for more information. We serve patients from Portsmouth NH, Newington NH, Durham NH, Madbury NH, Dover NH, Greenland NH, Stratham NH, and Newfields NH.