re: Cost of health insurance?

quote:

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This thread reminds me that I need to find a new primary care physician. Insurance at work changed and my previous one not in network anymore

Family practice best route to go?

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FP and IM are roughly equivocal in terms of taking care of adults. It's more about the physician and personal relationship you have with them. In a major medical center (there's a Peds unit or hospital that you work in if I'm not mistaken, leading me to assume you're in at least "not a small town"), you're more likely to see separation of inpatient and outpatient docs. Typically, but not always, FP is more likely to only work outpatient. IM is more likely to practice traditional or only inpatient. In any non-rural area, we are basically past the point of FP actually delivering babies. Both internists and FP can usually take care of women's health (contraception should you choose it, breast exams, Pap smears), but none of them really deliver, so it's probably better to have an OB/GYN if you're between 21 and menopause. So I'd pick just whoever is closer and you like. Picking one who only does outpatient is slightly more likely to be "on time," but there's no guarantee. The real plus about FP is, should you choose to have kids in the near future, you can set them up in the same practice.


So FP is fine. Med and med/Peds are great, too. If you are in a rural area, usually the FP guys are really good. But in any major city where they don't practice OB, you're just as good off with an internist.