Primary Care Services
What does Primary Care mean, exactly?
Primary care is the promotion of good health, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses. Primary care is performed and managed by a health care provider often collaborating with other health professionals.
Primary care provides patient support in the health care system to accomplish cost-effective care by coordination of health care services. Primary care promotes effective communication with patients and encourages the role of the patient as a partner in health care.
Why Is Primary Care Important?
A major part of primary care is focused on preventive medicine. This means identifying risk factors and making adjustments to your healthcare to prevent disease and enhance your quality of life.
Your primary care physician (PCP) acts as a partner in your overall health, providing you with resources to stay healthy and coordinating your care with other providers.
A PCP might be thought of as a health care home base-the person you contact first with questions about your health.
What Can a PCP Treat?
You primary care physician will be able to address certain needs in the office, especially those pertaining to routine care and prevention. At the Crane Center, we often provide treatment for patients with:
- Coughs
- Colds
- Flu
- Hypertension
- High Cholesterol
We also provide services related to routine health maintenance, including annual wellness exams, Well Woman exams, children's physicals, vaccinations, and DOT physicals.
What Happens if My PCP Can't Treat My Condition?
Your PCP has an entire network of physicians he or she trusts to help you. In the event that you are seeking treatment for a more specialized health issue, your PCP will refer you to another provider who will be able to adequately address your needs.
What Sorts of Tests Can a PCP Run?
The type of testing your PCP will be able to conduct in-office will vary according to location. At the Crane Center, we are able to administer a variety of tests that can act as a baseline for your overall health. Tests we run include:
- Rapid Strep Tests
- Rapid COVID Tests
- Routine bloodwork
- Pap Tests
- Vaccinations
- Urinalysis