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Primary care and Internal medicine

Primary care is the day-to-day health care given by a single, chosen provider. Your primary care provider is your first contact for continuing care and coordination for specialty care.

Optum will help you find the right primary care physician to guide your long-term wellness.

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Putting your needs first

Your primary care physician is not only convenient but fundamental to your overall health and wellness because they have invaluable insight into your unique needs. People who have an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician, such as an internist or family medicine physician, have better overall health outcomes, lower death rates and lower total costs of care.

At Optum, many of our primary care doctors are part of our internal medicine or family medicine departments.

A primary care provider maintains a long term relationship with their patients. They provide preventive care and screenings, as well as management of most common chronic and acute conditions. Primary care providers can specialize in internal medicine, pediatrics or family medicine. Internists are trained to take care of adults (18 and over), while family medicine providers are trained to care for patients of all ages. A pediatrician mainly takes care of patients under 18.

It is a matter of preference whether you choose to have an internist or family medicine provider to serve as your primary care provider.

While primary care providers treat many medical conditions, they sometimes refer their patients to a specialist provider who specializes in a specific body system or disease. All of these providers work collectively to guide your wellness needs.

Your link to comprehensive care

Your primary care doctor is important because they can provide regular preventive care and advice. They can also help you find other doctors if you need to see a specialist. At Optum, we believe in working together as a team to take care of you. This means that doctors, nurses, and pharmacists all work together to make sure you get the best care possible. We also have Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs), who are nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who can help too. This team approach makes it easier for you to get the personalized care you need. It also helps us communicate better so that you can have the support you need for your health care decisions. We make every effort to keep you healthy and provide you with the best care possible.

Some common conditions and illnesses treated and managed by your primary care physician are:

Internal medicine

Internists are part of a medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of internal diseases. They offer:

Preventive care
Immunizations (routine/travel-related)
Physical exams and evaluations
Management of complex and chronic conditions and disorders
Mental health evaluations
Treatment of infectious diseases
Senior care
Adolescent and young adult medicine

Family medicine

Every family is unique and understanding yours helps us provide more effective medical care and a better patient experience. Based on your family’s medical history and individual needs, our board certified physicians tailor their care to the individual and the whole family.

Family medicine doctors have a similar background as internists, but with an additional focus on pediatric and family care.

Some of the common conditions treated by our family medicine physicians include:

Sprains
Lacerations
Headache
Infant colic
Insomnia
Depression
Sinusitis
Allergies
Asthma
Arthritis
Back strains
Pneumonia

Medical care and help

To find an internist or a family medicine specialist near you, visit our Provider’s page.

Contact us if you have any questions