Answering Your Questions about Patient-Centered Care - Your Primary Care Doctor and Specialty Consultations
At MD For Patients, we believe that high-quality healthcare begins with a strong relationship between a patient and their primary care provider (PCP). Whether you’re visiting your PCP for an annual checkup, managing a minor injury, or seeking advice and monitoring for a chronic condition, your PCP is your first line of defense: a valuable resource who can help coordinate your diagnoses and care, someone who can help you understand the opinions of specialists in the context of your personal health, and a trusted partner in your health journey.
So what happens if your health concerns fall outside your PCP’s expertise and you need a specialist? What do you do when you need a level of care that goes beyond generalist care? That’s where we come in.
What is Primary Care?
Like the name implies, primary care is the foundation of your health care. It includes wellness checks and can include acute care for minor illnesses and injuries and includes management of many chronic conditions.
PCPs are your go-to experts for diagnosing and treating a wide range of health issues, from sprained ankles to concerns about your blood flow. They are trained to handle general care, but when more specialized care is needed, you may be referred to a specialist.
When You Might Need Specialist Care
Specialist care is needed when your condition is outside the scope of your PCP’s expertise. Whether you’re dealing with complex chronic conditions, a broken bone, diagnostic imaging questions, complex headaches, neurological disorders, or advanced heart conditions, specialists can offer the targeted care required for these complex issues.
If you’re unsure whether you need a consultation with a specialist, don’t worry–your PCP is your first stop. They know your medical history and can guide you in the right direction, helping you get the most appropriate care for your needs.
How to Access Specialist Care
In traditional healthcare models, getting a referral from your PCP is often the first step to accessing specialist care. Unfortunately, many local specialists have waiting lists of weeks to months, and have very limited time to communicate with you and your PCP - or with other specialists - about your care.
However, the specialists at MD For Patients are very different - we have chosen to provide you with more direct, rapid and streamlined access to specialists than is usually available. Our network of board-certified specialists is available for consultations without the bureaucracy that often slows down traditional healthcare systems.
You can easily submit a request for a consultation here.
How MD For Patients Can Help
Whether you’re a PCP or a patient looking for the right specialty consultation, MD For Patients offers an efficient and expert-driven solution. Our team of specialists provides expert consultations to help ensure that your care plan is following the right course even when your needs require specialist input. We give you easy access to consultants–you don’t have to wait weeks or months to speak with them. We can even arrange for you to see multiple specialists working on your behalf as a cohesive, collaborative team if you have a complex case involving multiple specialties.
Here’s how we can help:
Quick Access to Expert Consultants: Get timely, efficient consultations with specialists across multiple medical fields, from cardiology to orthopedics, radiology, neurology, and more.
Medical Necessity Reviews & Accurate Diagnoses: Our specialists offer thorough case evaluations, for instance reviewing multiple prior medical imaging studies (including comparing exams from multiple institutions) in the context of your medical history to get a full picture of your health concerns.
Efficient PCP-to-Specialist Conferences: We consult directly with primary care providers, providing valuable insights for managing complex cases. For instance, if you have confusing X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, echocardiography, EEG or other reports, we can help you and your PCP to understand any discrepancies, correct any inconsistencies so the significance of your test results is more clear, and discuss with you and your PCP what the findings mean for your personal health.
Seamless Integration with Your Care Team: At MD For Patients, we prioritize collaborative teamwork. You and your PCP can and should continue to work together while we offer support. And we’ll be there for you again in the future when follow-up is needed or new test results or other information requiring specialist assistance become available. Of course, we are also always happy to help when you simply have additional questions and would like to meet with us again.
At MD For Patients, we’re here to provide you with remote, personalized, specialty consultations so you can continue to get the best care possible - in collaboration with your local care team.