There are a lot of obligations that come with relocating to a new area. You have utilities to deal with, from the water authority to the power company. It’ll be a week before the cable guy can come by, the trash service still hasn’t dropped off your new trashcan and the neighbor’s dog has absolutely zero regard for your flower beds.

Here’s one more chore for the list: you need a doctor.

The time to find a primary care provider — or PCP — is before you’re sick. You want someone you can call on to handle the medical problems that you know will invariably turn up, from a seasonal cold to your annual wellness exam.

Finding the right PCP for you and your family is not always easy, but knowing your options, what to look for and some basic terminology can help.

Who are PCPs?

A PCP can be a representative from one of several fields of medicine that are relevant to you and your family.

• Family practitioners are physicians whose scope of practice often includes children and adults. Many family practitioners provide minor surgical services and men’s and women’s wellness care, including Pap tests, prostate exams and more.
• Internists are primary care physicians focused on caring for adults, with experience in caring for a wide range of diseases. Many also provide annual wellness exams that include Pap tests and prostate exams.
• Pediatricians are physicians who specialize in care for newborns, infants, children and adolescents. They perform wellness services and sick care.
• Obstetricians and gynecologists are physicians who specialize in caring for women. Many women — especially those of childbearing age — use their gynecologist as a PCP.
• Advanced practice providers are practitioners who have completed master’s-level medical training, including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). They are not physicians, but they see patients under a physician’s supervision and can refer problems to the physician that may be beyond their scope of practice.

Each specialty offers its own unique benefits. A family medicine provider can provide care for every member of your family, for instance, so that you, your spouse and your children can all see the same provider. Pediatricians and internists may not provide care for every member of the family, but are versed in the latest research concerning wellness screenings and health problems for the populations in which they specialize.

For problems beyond a PCP’s scope of practice, he or she may refer you to a specialist, such as a cardiologist for heart disease or an endocrinologist for thyroid problems or issues in controlling diabetes.

What to consider

When choosing a PCP, there are several things to take into consideration.

• What are his or her hours? Does the office close early on Friday? Do they offer evening hours or a Saturday clinic? Would you be able to adjust your work schedule to get an appointment during his or her office hours? And how easy is it to get an appointment right away?
• Is the PCP on staff at a nearby hospital? Being on a hospital’s medical staff gives the PCP privileges to use the hospital’s facilities. This allows the provider to order diagnostic imaging services, such as an MRI or X-ray, at the hospital, or to oversee your care if you must be admitted.
• Is the PCP part of a larger group? Many PCPs choose to work as part of a larger network of physicians, often as part of a hospital-owned group such as Tanner Health System’s Tanner Medical Group. This provides an integrated approach to care that allows seamless referrals, access to medical histories and more among members of the group. It also ensures coverage if the PCP is out of town. Many PCPs also operate in independent practices.
• Is the office staff courteous and responsive? If the person who answered the phone when you called was rude or inconsiderate, don’t expect things to improve from there. The office staff will be the ones you engage with the most, calling to provide test results, schedule visits and more. You’ll want them to be polite and professional.
• Location, location, location! How easy is it to get to the PCP’s office from your home? Your job? Your kids’ school? If you have a long commute, getting from work to the office for an appointment can be onerous. However, if you’ve already had to call in sick, you probably don’t want to make that commute unnecessarily if there’s a PCP near you.
• Has he or she joined the 21st century? Technology has come a long way not only in helping PCPs with front-office tasks like scheduling and billing, but also in actually improving patient care. Many modern electronic medical record systems not only alert providers to possible medication interactions and overdue wellness screenings, but also provide a way for patients to log-in and view their own health histories, send messages to providers and see test results.
• Does he or she accept your insurance? When you call the practice, make sure you provide your insurance information so the office staff can verify that the PCP is in-network for your insurance provider. Some insurance providers and healthcare management organizations (HMOs) can have very restrictive networks.
• Do you like and trust him or her? This isn’t a trivial matter — you need to be able to trust your PCP unequivocally. He or she will be a partner in your health, and you need to be able to take his or her counsel to heart and candidly discuss personal matters concerning your health.

Some areas of Georgia are more blessed with an abundance of PCPs than others, and the state — like the rest of the nation — is looking at a shortage of PCPs. But don’t limit your options. Call around, ask your friends and neighbors and find the PCP who’s right for you.

Tanner Primary Care of West Paulding is located in Temple, Georgia. For more information, visit PrimaryCareWestPaulding.org or call 770-812-3866.