What is a Family Physician?

A family physician is the main contact for many families when there is a medical problem that is not an emergency. Family medicine is a specialty that emphasizes preventive health measures and health education, in addition to providing regular health care for all ages and all sexes in a family. In addition to regular preventive checkups, family physicians diagnose and treat illnesses and also handle regular immunizations. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, more people visit a family physician in a given year than any other type of doctor - a total of 208 million office visits.

Training for a Family Physician

Beginning with a 4-year undergraduate degree, a prospective doctor wishing to specialize in family medicine must attend 4 years of medical school before completing a 3-year residency. Family physicians can have either an M.D. or a D.O. degree. That training includes rotations that focus on treating someone through all stages of their life -- from internal medicine and pediatrics to obstetrics-gynecology and geriatrics.

Choosing a Family Physician

Particularly for a young family, the choice of a family physician is crucial because it is the doctor the family could visit for many years. Choosing a capable family physician who family members are comfortable with takes some significant research.

• A good place to start is with friends and family members. Don't stop your research if a trusted friend gives a glowing review of a family physician. That's a valuable resource, but remembers that you may have some needs different from even a close relative and you may not hit it off with the doctor in the same way.
• If you are new to town, check with your insurance provider for a list of family physicians in the area who accept your insurance. If you work for a company with a human resources department, lists of specialty physicians who accept the company's insurance is often available.
• Consider also checking with the state medical board for a list of various medical providers in your area. A list of the web sites for all the state medical boards is available in a number of locations. One is www.consumerhealthratings.com.
• Make a list of 2 to 5 candidates for family physician and arrange for a brief visit with each of the candidates. Check the certificaiton of your doctor at www.abms.org, a free service from the American Board of Medical Specialties. Basic information on the doctor, as well as any outstanding criminal or malpractice actions, is available through individual state medical boards. Information on doctors is also available at www.ama-assn.org, though the group's physician finder service. Note that less than all doctors in the country are in the web site.

Don't be surprised if some practices impose a fairly small fee for the consultation, since you aren't a client of the practice yet. Spend enough time to get a feel for the doctor, if his or her personality matches yours and that of your family. Ask any questions of concern, but consider some of these to start with:

• What are the office hours and what is the policy for after-hour calls? Does the doctor return the call or is there a nurse or doctor on duty that rotates over time.
• What is the average waiting time for a non-emergency appointment? Can the office accommodate an emergency visit within the same day?
• What hospital does the doctor use, and what is the situation for parking?
• Are lab tests conducted at the office or is the patient sent to another location? If so, where is it and what is the average wait time for blood work or other types of tests?

Make your decision based on the doctor who had the highest grades from the questioning session, but be sure to include a personal assessment as an important element of the choice of a family physician. For many people, a family physician becomes something akin to a close friend or family member over time. If the doctor you interview seems incapable of that kind of relationship, you may want to think twice.