One step closer to better overall health
Your primary care provider is the physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant who provides your basic health care.
You develop an ongoing relationship with your personal provider, who:
- Takes care of you when you are sick or need medical attention.
- Gives you regular check-ups and immunizations (shots) to stay well.
- Helps you manage diseases and other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma.
- Answers your questions about your health care.
- Gives you information to help you prevent illness.
Preventive care focuses on preventing illnesses, injuries or medical conditions before they happen. One of the most important priorities for your primary care provider is keeping you healthy.
It is often easier and less expensive to prevent a medical problem than it is to treat one.
Preventive care includes age and gender appropriate lifestyle changes, vaccinations, screening tests and other measures.
Primary Care providers
At Marshfield Clinic Health System, you can choose from these primary care departments:
Family Medicine providers who care for the entire family. Patients of all ages receive total health care from a Family Medicine physician and associated team. Family Medicine emphasizes preventive care and provides acute and chronic care.
Internal Medicine providers who care for adults. Internal Medicine physicians are specially trained to diagnose and treat medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis and other conditions. They also provide physical and gynecological exams.
Med-Peds providers who care for adults as well as children and adolescents. Med-Peds physicians have the training and dedication of pediatricians and internists combined. They care for patients throughout life, managing acute and chronic illnesses at all ages. Multiple generations of a family may receive care.
Pediatric providers who care for children and teens. Pediatricians specialize in keeping children well, from birth to young adulthood. If a child needs specialized care, Marshfield Clinic Children's has the most comprehensive children's health services network in the region.
Care coordination
Your primary care provider also helps you get care you need from other health care providers. If you need to see a specialist, your primary care provider will refer you and continue to coordinate your care.
