Family Practice or General Practice?

Hi M.,
My kids see a pediatrician and I go to a Woman's Clinic. I found them while pregnant with my third child and have continued with them.

I am not sure where you live.. but it sounds like you like your kids pediatrician.. so I would call there office and see who they recommend in your area.. When I found out I was pregnant.. my general doctor is the one who told me about my OBGYN and I really like her. I live in seattle.. so if you are close to me I could let you know who I see.
Best of luck
Lenc

I am very glad that you are now going to take care of yourself with your own doctor. It's good to have an established relationship with a doctor before an urgent situation occurs.

The reason a doctor is named family practice is that he's trained to treat the whole family. If you're the only one going a gp would be just as appropriate.

You can "shop" for a doctor. If the first one you see doesn't seem to be one that you are comfortable with try a different doctor.

I've heard of some women using a gynecologist as their primary care physician.

I have Kaiser Permanente Insurance. I go to a gp. When my daughter arrived I took her to a pediatrician. When I was having menstrual difficulties I saw an ob/gyn. When I was having IBS I went to gastroenterologist. I also used an allergist and a rheumatologist.

That is one reason I prefer Kaiser. They are all working off the same chart. I did have BC/BS for awhile. I had a gp who then referred me to a pnuematologist who then referred me to a pneumo/cardiology surgeon. After surgery I saw a cardiologist. The specialists were all in The Oregon Clinic, a different clinic than my gp was in, and were very good at sending reports to my gp who seemed to keep up with it all. This arrangement did work well.

A gp will start you on the loop. He'll give you a physical exam and talk with you about any concerns you have. He can treat most common illness's. I was referred to specialists after my gp's treatments didn't work or when he knew I needed specialized treatment. The gp is the first doctor to see. Most insurance companies require your gp to send a written referral to the specialist before you see him.

I agree with the gal that told you to go to an internist! My kids have a great pediatrician! So I go to Dr. Stephen Stringfellow for myself. His office is over by Allenmore Hospital so it's not too far from you. He's an excellent doc. The downfall is that sometimes I have to wait an hour in the waiting room just to see him! Let me just tell you that he is well worth the wait! He really listens to and takes care of his patients. If I can't get an appt. with him when I need it, there is another doc in the office that is awesome. His name is Dr. Retalieu (sp?). Either one is excellent! I have been going to Dr. Stringfellow for about 10 years now! My mom sees him, my husband sees him and ,before she passed, my grandma went to him as well! The phone number to the office is ###-###-####. They are part of the Multicare system so they keep their records on a program called Epic. This is the same program that Tacoma General uses so if you ever have to go to the hospital, your medical records can be pulled up and vice versa. When you go to see Dr. Stringfellow he can pull up your hospital record. It's very handy! He also has resources to great referrals, should you ever need a specialist for anything! I hope this helps you out! Again, the phone number is ###-###-####. Good Luck! It's hard to find a doc that you like! I'm glad I was blessed with this one.

Hi M.,
You need to see an internist. A FP and a GP may have not done as much schooling as and internist. In the past they could start practicing right after medical school and did need to do a residency like internist do. Yes, it is a pain to have everyone seening different docs but that is the way it goes. I have worked in the medical field for years and my husband is a physician and this is our opinion.
Good luck,
L.

When my children were little, they saw a pediatrician. We eventually all switched to a family doctor because when one kid got sick, we all got sick and the family doctor could treat us all at once. Plus, he got to know us and our medical histories and could keep an eye out for family-related problems like allergies and heart disease.

Hi M.,

I absolutely LOVE my doctor. I find that he is extremely knowledgeable and respectful of naturopathic routes too. He's flexible and just a really good person and doctor.

His name is Dr. Michael Chen, and his practice is called About Family Health. I don't know where you're located, but he's at SE 8th and SE Morrison. http://www.aboutfamilyhealth.com/ ###-###-####.

Our whole family's care has been transferred to him. :) Oh yeah, he also runs completely on time and returns calls punctually.

Best,
L.

I read some of your other posts, so if this was brought up already--sorry. I was going to suggest that your insurance company may have a provider directory that you can look up info on docs in your area. It can be overwhelming, but some have filters so you can select male/female doctor or different locations, etc. As for the type, I have recently found success with going to a family practitioner. Even if you take the little ones to a seperate doc, the Family Practice docs can do it all for you and refer for the things they can't. Good luck!

My husband and I and both our kids all go to the same family practice doctor. We absolutely love him Dr. James Yee in Issaquah. It is really great having a family doctor because he looks at the whole picture of the family when one of us gets sick. it usually helps him to diagnose us more easily and sometimes he will do preventitive treatment if it looks likely that one person's illness could affect the whole family. He also knows all of us so we can also ask about general issues like potty training or nightmares or discipline and he gives really good personalized advice.

I would say that you're doing the right thing by asking others what or who they prefer. I was on the same boat as you a couple years ago and I asked everyone I worked with what they suggested. It seemed like they all went to the same doctor, but I found out why they did. It's easier to trust people who have experience with a particular doctor than to look and pick at random from a directory. I couldn't give you a preference now because I'm in the military otherwise I would be posting the same thing as you. Good luck!

I agree with most of the posts. Me personally, the kids go to their pediatrician and I go to a family dr (and a OBGYN). I see my family doc for genereal things and he will refer me to a specialist if necessary. General and family docs know alot but are limited when it comes to special issues.
It is VERY important to be comfortable with whomever you choose. Don't feel like you need to stick with someone even if you dont like them.
Good Luck!

Dear M....Im not sure what area you live in..so I cant help you there.. But, as we age we actually need to have two Drs. A very good Gynecologist for yearly exams and referrals and a knowlegable Family Dr.
If you dont feel comfortable call around to various clinics in your area and ask some questions..in selecting a Dr. you feel comfortable with..
Good Luck to you..
C.

I see an internist. My OB has a policy that she won't act as a primary care physician as she just doesn't have the time. In my opinion, internists are a bit more geared toward adults than GPs.

Good luck!

Family practice might be nice so your kids can see the same doctor as they outgrown their pediatrician. Either one will really do the job for you as long as you find someone that you like.

M.,

We use a Family Practice doc that we've been with since my 5 year old son was just a few months old. We love her, and the docs in the whole clinic. That's the route I would go, but that's me. :)

Melissa

I prefer family practice myself. It was kinda crazy when I saw one dr., my husband another, my kids another....finally we switched to a wonderful family care doctor for all of us. I love the fact that she knows all of us and checks up on me even when it is an appt for one of the kids.

I really like the Women's Clinic I go to. If you're generally healthy, you probably only need one check-up per year, so you need a gynecologist. At the clinic I go to, they will also check my general health at the same appt. I don't need to see anyone else unless something unusual comes up- and they do general medicine in the same clinic.