[♪♩DRAMATIC MUSIC] Nurse.
Scalpel.
My God! It’s a request for a primary care physician!
We’ll have to operate right away!
[♪♩INTRO]
A primary care physician is a doctor who you see routinely for basic checkups, non-emergency
illnesses and references to other specialists in case of complications.
There are a lot of reasons to choose a doctor who you see regularly.
You might have a recurring health issue, or maybe your insurance plan requires you to
select a primary care physician.
It’s also just a good idea to choose a doctor if you’re a living, breathing adult human.
We also hope that you’ll get something out of this video if you’re a non-adult or a
dog or something.
[♪♩DISCO MUSIC]
Right. Here’s some steps to walk you through.
First, consider any special health issues you might need to take into account, especially
if you have a chronic disease or a recurring issue.
Chances are that if you do, you already have doctors that you see occasionally.
Great!
If not, all you need to do is a quick Google search for a local primary care physician
to get started.
Check to see if the doctor or doctors you already see are primary care physicians; you
can either call their office or check their website to see.
Pro tip for people with uteruses: Oftentimes, your gyno can serve as your primary doctor.
Otherwise, you’ll have to keep on truckin’ with our cool list of steps.
Check with your health insurance plan to find out what doctors (or, as they will call them,
care providers) are covered in-network.
From there, you can narrow down your search by location or any references you’ve gotten.
Take into account the doctor’s hours and office location.
Consider whether you want to see a doctor who runs their own small office or works for
a larger company, such as a hospital or Planned Parenthood clinic.
A doctor who runs their own small practice might offer more personal and specialized
care, but they might not be able to offer sliding-fee scale payment services or convenient
office hours.
Research on your doctor candidates.
It can be hard to find many useful online reviews for doctors.
There’s no practical doctor “Yelp”, because it turns out that doctors are much
more likely to sue for a bad review than the Chinese restaurant around the corner.
No really, there’s a 2012 New York Times article about it.
So, there aren’t many truly helpful online listings for MDs.
But we do suggest checking the site Certification Matters, where you can look to see how often
a doctor renews their board certification.
You can also type in “top doctors” followed by the name of your city to get a place to
start.
Without the Internet, you’ll have to rely on good old fashioned word of mouth.
One of the best ways to find quality doctors is to ask your friends and family who they
recommend.
Unless your friends and family are dogs, in which case don’t listen to them.
Those are veterinarians.
Once you feel good about your research, select a doctor, and double-check that they take
your insurance.
Notify your insurance company about who you chose.
Most insurance companies will let you do this online pretty easily.
Schedule your first appointment and go!
It’s up to you to decide if you like your doctor’s demeanor and would like to visit
them again.
Most insurance companies will also let you change your primary care physician during
the year.
Consider whether the doctor was patient and attentive, whether the staff were polite and
whether the office followed up with you to see how you’re doing or if you needed any
follow-up care.
Does your doctor keep super rad magazines in their reception area?
Even better.
Who looks at magazines in the reception area anymore.
I’ve got Twitter right here—right—all the terrible news I need.
Looking for more information about the United States’ Healthcare System?
Well, Healthcare Triage is another channel in the Complexly network and it is so good.
We will leave a link in the description, as well as in the endscreen.
And if you would like to continue learning about adulting with Rachel and me, subscribe
to this channel at youtube.com/learnhowtoadult.
Nurse. Scalpel.
I didn't even put it in. I went right behind. Trying to get my own fingers.
Nurse. Scalpel.
My God! It's a request for a c—primary careffff...
[Laughter]
Glad I don't actually act for a living.
[Laughter]
A moist sha-moise. [Laughter]
But they might not be able to offer the sliding fee scale services
[Singsong Robot Voice?] as convenient as other office hours...
Schedule your first apploint—applointment.
Implointment.
[Confidently] Emplointment.
[Singing] Reset for dramaaaa lighting.