Who are family physicians?
Family physicians are medical specialists who care for patients of all ages and ethnicities. They help prevent, evaluate, diagnose, and treat chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disorders. They also manage common everyday medical issues such as flu and allergies and can practice in various settings, both private and public.
Family physicians perform routine health check-ups, well-baby check-ups for babies and children, and health risk assessments for anyone at risk. They also carry out screening tests for genetic disorders and illnesses common in particular genders, such as pap smears and prostate exams. They monitor children's immunization schedules and take care of all timely vaccinations. They also counsel patients about healthy lifestyle choices, including quitting smoking, alcohol, and drugs. Family physicians also make timely referrals to specialists in all fields, which helps save lives.
Family care physicians are at the forefront of primary care. The in-depth knowledge of the human body and a passion for patient care make family practice physicians a practical and unique specialty. Access to regular primary care via family physicians has been directly linked to the following:
- Long and healthy life
- Higher immunization rates
- Low healthcare costs
- High birth weights in infants
- Low infant mortality rates
Educational background of family physicians
In the U.S., the journey of becoming a family physician involves completing four years of medical school after getting an undergraduate degree in science, followed by a mandatory three to four years residency with rotations in all fields of medicine. The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States of America (COMLEX-USA) or the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) conducts the board examination for family physicians.
Some states in the U.S. have an additional requirement of clearing a license examination to practice in that state legally. All family physicians in the U.S. must pass the assessment provided by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) or the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP) to be called board-certified. They may further streamline their education and specialize in areas like emergency medicine, sports medicine, public health, gynecology, or mental health.
Subspecialties in family medicine
As explained above, family practice physicians may undergo further training to specialize in any of the following family medicine subspecialties:
- Pain medicine: The subspecialty focuses on patients suffering from chronic, acute, or cancer-related pain in outpatient and hospital settings. These specialists also coordinate with other doctors and medical professionals to optimize patient care.
- Adolescent medicine: It is a multidisciplinary healthcare specialization focusing on adolescents' unique social, physical, and psychological characteristics and medical needs.
- Hospice and palliative medicine: This subspecialty deals with patients suffering from life-limiting illnesses. These specialists work with palliative or hospice care teams to address the patient's and their family's social, physical, spiritual, and psychological needs, improving their overall quality of life.
- Sports medicine: Sports medicine focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating sports and exercise-related injuries or problems. It also deals with diseases and illnesses that affect physical performance.
- Geriatric medicine: Geriatric medicine deals with elderly care. It focuses on specific skills to prevent, diagnose, manage, rehabilitate, and treat conditions in older adults. These specialists care for elderly patients at home, offices, hospitals, and nursing homes.
- Sleep medicine: This field focuses on diagnosing and managing clinical problems affecting the normal sleep cycle or sleep quality. Specialists are trained to interpret and analyze comprehensive polysomnography and effectively manage a sleep laboratory.
- Healthcare administration: This subspecialty equips a physician with comprehensive expertise in managing administrative functions in healthcare. They focus on organizational effectiveness, patient experience, and patient safety. These specialists work with stakeholders to create a robust, patient-centric healthcare system.
What procedures can family physicians perform?
Family physicians can perform various in-office procedures as part of patient care, such as:
- Maternity related procedures
- Early pregnancy management and evaluation and family planning-related procedures
- Intrauterine device (IUD) placement
- Endoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- Vasectomy
- Suturing lacerations
- Colposcopy
- Skin biopsy and more
Why should you visit a family physician?
Family physicians are generally the first point of contact for conditions as simple as mild allergies and as complex as cancer. Family physicians carry the answers to most questions concerning your health, whether it is about timely diagnosis and care or referral to the right specialist. A relationship with a family physician begins as soon as a child is born and continues till the last years of one's life. They know your medical history in depth and have thorough knowledge about your family's history, helping them make accurate diagnoses and monitor your treatment.
Family physicians offer services ranging from regular yearly check-ups to treatment for chronic medical illnesses. They diagnose and manage diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, and arthritis, treating flu, sinus infections, warts, and seasonal allergies. They thoroughly understand your priorities, financial background, and family and personal history for severe conditions such as cancer, neurological disorders, and major surgeries and refer you to the right specialists. By saving visits to the emergency room when not needed and reducing the need for follow-up visits, family physicians can help take care of your medical needs in the most economical way possible.
The benefits mentioned above are backed by research. A 2021 study published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that primary care is the very foundation of the healthcare system and that an increased supply of primary care is linked to better population health and more equitable outcomes. Further, a 2019 patient-centered medical home (PCMH) report also found that increased primary care (PC) spending is related to fewer emergency department visits, total hospitalizations, and hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions.
How to select a family physician for you and your family?
Finding the right primary care provider or family physician is an important decision for you and your family, and it's completely understandable to want to find the right fit quickly. While asking friends and family for their recommendations can be a great starting point, here are some other important tips to help guide you as you navigate this process:
- If you have insurance, check which healthcare providers near you are covered by your insurance health plan. An in-network primary care doctor will help keep your medical costs in check. If you do not have insurance and are paying out-of-pocket, you should speak to your doctor's office about costs before setting up an appointment to avoid any surprise charges. It is also important to note that several health insurance providers limit your choice to a list of doctors and require you to select a doctor from their list. Ensure you contact your insurance provider for such information.
- Credentials are important when searching for a provider. A family physician who is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) adheres to the highest standards of care and is aware of the latest advancements in family medicine. They must also complete at least 150 hours of continuing medical education every three years.
- Check whether a family doctor is affiliated with a hospital and if that hospital is covered by your insurance. This may be important if you have health needs that require you to go to a hospital.
- Location is another critical factor in choosing your family doctor. Check if the doctor's office is located near your home, office, or school. If your area lacks primary care offices, you should check for other facilities such as community health clinics, hospital emergency rooms, and public clinics instead of primary care physician offices.
- You may also want to know whether minor procedures or tests, such as X-rays, will be performed in the doctor's clinic or in a lab facility elsewhere.
- When choosing a provider, it is essential to learn the timings of your doctor's clinic. Ask your physician's office if they offer assistance for issues that may occur after hours and if a medical query can be answered over the phone or online.
- Some doctors practice independently, while others may be a part of a group practice. It's important to know if you have access to other healthcare practitioners, such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other medical specialists, for current or future needs.
- Before choosing a primary care provider, you must also check if they accommodate your special health needs. A person's age, gender, life experiences, disability status, trauma, abuse, mental health, and chronic medical conditions create unique health challenges that any healthcare provider must understand and accommodate when developing treatment plans.
What to expect from an appointment with a family physician?
You must carry all your essential medical documents during your first visit with a family physician near you. After completing the medical history questionnaire provided by the doctor's office, they will study your records and past medical and procedural history. Call the doctor's office a day or two in advance to ask for any particular medication or diet instructions you must follow before seeing the family physician.
How to prepare for your first family doctor appointment?
Preparing for your first family physician appointment will help you get the most out of your visit and get timely preventive care, save on future medical costs, and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.
Here's how you can prepare for your first family doctor appointment:
- Ensure you bring all relevant documents: This includes all your previous health records, prescriptions, insurance card, a list of over-the-counter medications you are currently taking (including vitamins and supplements), and prior tests or surgeries performed. If you have ever been treated in an emergency department by a specialist, inform your family doctor. These details will help your provider diagnose accurately and keep your overall health in mind for future visits. Further, you must also notify your doctor if anyone in your close family has a history of chronic illness.
- Maintain a record of all your symptoms: It is essential to note all your recurring symptoms and their frequency, duration, and what triggers them. Changes in your diet, sleep patterns, weight, moods, and menstrual cycle could indicate an underlying health condition.
- Ask someone to accompany you: If you are bilingual or English is not your first language and need help translating, you can ask a friend or family member to translate during your appointment. This can also help you calm your nerves and feel less stressed during the session. They can also take notes on your behalf and raise any questions you may have forgotten.
- Prioritize your concerns and carry a list of questions: Your first appointment may take quite some time. You may also have many questions regarding your diagnosis, treatment options, tests needed, surgical options, medical costs, follow-up appointments, and more. It is advisable to carry a list of these to ensure you remember all critical queries while you are with your doctor.
Locate the best family physicians near you in Tucson, AZ
If you are trying to decide on a family physician to fit all your requirements, Zocdoc can help you.
You can start a search based on your location (Tucson, Arizona) or symptoms and get a list of top-rated family physicians in the area. Each provider has a unique profile, including their educational background, qualifications, certifications, affiliations, accreditations, years of work experience, and any awards or honors received in the past. The profile also contains information on the gender of the family physicians, their places and times of consultation, languages they are comfortable with, diseases they have the most experience treating, and any age group of patients they specialize in treating.
You can also access verified reviews from previous patients to help you make a more informed decision. With Zocdoc, if you choose your insurance type from the drop-down menu, the application will immediately list in-network family physicians or those who will accept your current medical insurance.
If you are unable to find your particular health insurance plan listed on Zocdoc, try uploading a clear photo of your insurance card. Zocdoc will then scan the image of your card and show you a plan that matches it best. Note that this feature is only available for medical insurance; vision and dental plans are excluded. If you are having trouble uploading your medical insurance card, contact Zocdoc's service team. For more information on insurance and related topics, make sure you check out Zocdoc's patient help center.
After picking a qualified family physician near you, you may book an in-person or online consultation based on your provider's availability.
All bookings on Zocdoc are easy, free, and secure!
Family medicine statistics in Tucson, AZ
As per a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, as of May 2021, around 2,610 licensed family physicians were practicing in Arizona.
According to the 2024 Pima County Community Health Needs Assessment, major cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death in Pima County in 2022, with a mortality rate of approximately 285 deaths per 100,000 residents. Cancer was the second-leading cause, at 191 deaths per 100,000, followed by non-transport accidents at 66 per 100,000, COVID-19 at 58 per 100,000, and chronic lower respiratory diseases at 55 per 100,000. The assessment also identified health care workforce shortages as an ongoing challenge in Pima County.
In 2018, about 13.3% of adults in Pima County had been diagnosed with diabetes; the death rate per 100,000 population was close to 26.2. In the same year, nearly 7.7% of adults had coronary heart disease, with a death rate of around 97.8. Pima County has had an approximately 25% increase in adult obesity rates between 2014 and 2018.
Sources
WebMD[1]
Healthline[1]
Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials
Cleveland Clinic[1]
Cleveland Clinic[2]
Pima County Community Health Needs Assessment
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
American Academy of Family Physicians[1]
American Academy of Family Physicians[2]
American Board of Medical Specialties
National Academies
Oregon.gov
National Institute on Aging
Intercoastal Medical Group
Phelps Health
Beaumont
familydoctor.org
WebMD[2]
Healthline[2]
Medical Board of California
