Patient receiving a physical exam.

What Happens During a Physical Exam?

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An annual physical exam is the best way for both you and your primary care provider (PCP) to stay informed and up-to-date about your overall wellness. During this checkup, your PCP is able to review your health status, updates in personal and family history since your last checkup, performs a general medical exam, which usually includes different tests depending on your age (along with other risk factors, like family history of health issues).

Here’s what to expect when you go to the doctor’s office for your physical exam.

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Patient receiving treatment from his primary care physician.

How to Choose a Primary Care Physician

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Primary care physicians (PCPs) are the foundation of the U.S. healthcare system, serving as the entry point to all other health care services, including specialists and hospitals. (Over 200 million visits to PCPs occur in the United States every year!)

In most cases, people visit their PCPs more than any other medical professional, which makes it important to choose a doctor you feel comfortable with. Why? Because research shows that patients who have strong relationships with their PCPs (aka patient-centered care) have better outcomes!

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Primary care physician attending to a patient.

The Role of a Primary Care Physician (PCP)

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A primary care physician (PCP), sometimes referred to as primary care provider, general practitioner or internist, is a clinician who establishes a long-term relationship with his or her patients (and sometimes the patient’s family) in order to provide preventive care and health education.

A PCP’s role is widespread: diagnose and treat illness and disease, manage complex health conditions, oversee medications and treatments, assist patients coping with stress and/or adjusting to major life events, communicate effectively with other medical specialists, and refer patients to appropriate specialist services as needed.

As the healthcare industry continues to rapidly change, with more and more people enrolling in health insurance plans, patients have more choices available to them when it comes to choosing a physician to see for care.

So, how does the role of a primary care physician differ from that of other doctors in the field?

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