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MICHIGAN PRIMARY CARE
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland primary care physicians and internists are there for you to heal what hurts, and best of all, can refer you, if necessary, to a specialist. These are special, caring, sensitive Michigan doctors that you'll like to trust, and that we trust you'll like.
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CLICK HERE FOR A FREE COPY
OF THE MEDICAL REPORT
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Horia Tatu, MD
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland
Internal Medicine
View Profile
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THE FACTS ABOUT Having a Primary Care Physician
Background
A primary care physician helps us maintain our health through preventive care. The PCP is often the first medical practitioner we contact. He/she has a medical degree (MD or DO) and post-graduate training in a primary care program such as family or general medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics and pediatrics. Oftentimes, an obstetrician/gynecologist will serve as a patient’s primary care physician.
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Podcast Posted: 12/03/2009
Duration:
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The PCP is your go-to, starting point or home for medical care. The PCP provides health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, health counseling and non-surgical treatment of common illnesses, like the flu, and medical conditions, such as diabetes. A PCP performs physical exams, takes family and medical histories, performs diagnostic tests, administers vaccines, provides annual exams and advises patients on how to live healthy lifestyles.
A PCP builds relationships with you and is familiar with your physical and psychological makeup and lifestyle. He/she provides consistency in your health care. Your PCP monitors your health, educates you about healthy eating and the need for exercise and refers you to a specialist if needed. A PCP is your medical partner for life.
PCPs see their patients regularly, so they know what’s normal for each patient and what is not normal. For example, a PCP may detect symptoms their patients don’t notice, or catch early warning signs of disease, such as high blood pressure. At the same time, if patients have a medical condition that needs to be checked, like hypertension or diabetes, the PCP is the doctor they should turn to.
PCPs on staff at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO) present another advantage—they offer same-day appointments. Physicians who participate in the same-day program at SJMO reserve appointments each day for patients requesting same-day scheduling. That way, patients don’t have to wait to see a doctor or bear the cost of an Emergency visit.
If you call before noon, you’ll get an appointment the same day. If you call after noon, you’ll be seen the following business day.
To schedule an appointment or find a St. Joe PCP near you, call the SJMO referral line at 800-372-6094.
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Urgent Care
Vincenzo Guglielmetti, MD
Posted: 03/16/2009
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