Primary Care Practices Wilmington: A Complete Guide
40% of Americans report skipping an important medical test, even when it’s recommended.
44% report not seeing a doctor when they are sick or injured because they worry about the cost of a visit.
For many, the cost of health insurance is prohibitive in getting care. For others, they can’t afford the high deductible that comes with many health insurance plans.
Perhaps you can relate!
Have you ever skipped going to the doctor because you were worried about the cost? Have you felt frustrated by long waits to see your doctor?
Have you been discouraged by how rushed you feel when you see your doctor, and that too little time is spent understanding your medical needs? Have you felt disheartened by a medical office that is intimidating or unfriendly?
It might be time for you to consider a new way to get the medical care you need. Read on to learn more about primary care practices and the care you’d receive at primary care practices in Wilmington.
Understanding Primary Care Practices
What is primary care?
A primary care provider is responsible for providing integrated, accessible health care services to their patients. The scope of services they provide is generally broad, but it varies from practice to practice.
A primary care provider develops relationships with their patients and provides a large majority of their health care needs.
Primary care practices usually offer a broad range of care and services, while addressing both acute and long-term medical needs. Many primary care doctors also focus on prevention and wellness.
There are also different types of primary care physicians– there are some variations and specialization within the field.
Family physicians are trained to provide primary care for every member of the family, no matter thier age. They are also experienced providing women’s health care, including pelvic exams and managing and delivering pregnant women.
Internal medicine physicians, or internists, typically care for adults, including geriatric patients. The primary difference between and internist and a family medicine doctor is that an internal medicine physician may not treat children or hand women’s health.
Geriatricians are internists who have additional training in the specific health needs of older adults.
Others Involved in Delivering Primary Care
Primary care is not always delivered by a physician. Some practices utilize other non-physician providers to help care for patients. These providers have overlapping, but different, expertise and training.
The most common non-physician providers in primary care are Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs). The primary difference between physician and non-physician providers is the amount of training and education that is required.
Medical Doctors in primary care must complete an undergraduate degree, four-years of medical school, and then a minimum of three years in a residency program training within a hospital or out-patient setting.
NPs and PAs complete an undergraduate degree, followed by a 2-3 year, master’s level program. PAs study general medicine and NPs choose a focus, such as women’s health or pediatrics.
How Do Primary Care Practices Differ?
Aside from the type of provider you will see, there may be other factors you want to consider.
Some questions to ask include:
- How many patients does my provider have, and how many patients do they see a day? (This may affect your wait time to see your doctor or non-physician provider)
- How much time do I get with my provider once I’m seen?
- Does my insurance cover all of your services? If not, are you able to tell me how much a visit or service will be ahead of time? If a visit, lab or service is recommended by my provider, does your office help me find out if my insurance will cover it, or how much it will cost?
- Is there a mechanism for contacting my provider outside of office hours?
- How do I get labs or prescriptions medications? Do I have to go to another location, or do you offer these at your location?
- If I have a specific health condition, such as diabetes, will my primary care provider be able to manage that, or will he/she send me to a specialist?
- What reviews are availalble about this practice (e.g., Google reviews)?
Different Models of Primary Care
Fee for service is the most common (and most traditional) model of primary care. In this model, providers are reimbursed based on the number of services they provide or procedures they conduct. In this model, insurance companies or government agencies are billed for every visit, test, procedure, and treatment provided.
Concierge practices offer their services by charging an annual fee- ranging from $1,500-$2,500–on top of any co-pays or co-insurance that the patient is responsible for. The benefits include increased access, attention, and personalized service from the provider.
Telehealth or telemedicince services offer care using phone, video or other technologies. While convenient, some conditions need a more hands-on approach to diagnose or treat, which would require an in-person visit.
Urgent care clinics are generally utilized for conditions that are not considered emergencies but still require care withing 24 hours, and occur outside of the patient’s primary care provider’s office hours.
Retail clinics offer care in easy-to-get-to retail locations, such as pharmacies or big-box retail stores (e.g., Target). While convenient, it’s important to know what care they can and can’t provide, how they handle follow-ups, and how or when it’s appropriate to utilize their services. Most retail clinics are staffed by non-physician providers.
What About Direct Primary Care Practices?
Direct primary care is an emerging model of primary care that combines many of the conveniences mentioned above, but focuses on building strong doctor-patient relationships and transparent, affordable pricing.
Promina Health, a direct primary care family medicine practice in Wilmington, offers full-service family medicine using a monthly membership instead of insurance to provide care.
What does that mean?
The healthcare system is extremely frustrating, leaving many avoiding seeing their doctor all together. That’s why we do things differently.
We eliminate those frustrations by using a simple, and affordable, monthly membership to provide you with all the primary care you need. This makes the costs of care predictable and provides you with a primary care physician that you can see for the majority of your health needs.
Your membership with Promina Health covers any visits that you need and access to a comprehensive set of primary care services, including diagnostic procedures, women’s care (GYN visits), chronic disease management, pediatric care and more. We offer family care for all ages.
Our appointment times average 30 minutes to 1 hour so you’ll never feel rushed. You’ll see the same board-certified family physician each visit, so that they can get to know you and your specific health needs. You’ll also have the convenience of telehealth visits– at no extra charge–and around-the-clock access to your physician via text or phone.
We also provide deep discounts on labs and prescription medications, offered right from our office.
Primary Care Practices in Wilmington for Your Care
Does all this sound better than the expense and hassles of the way you’ve been getting medical care? We’d love for Promina Health to be your full-service primary care team.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and schedule a new patient appointment.