How to Find a Primary Care Provider With primary care, you get one go-to health care provider Photo & story by Sanford Health News
E
ven though we’re currently in a pandemic, you shouldn’t put your overall health on hold.
Getting started Throughout the pandemic, a common question Sanford Health has been asked? “What if I don’t have a doctor? Where do I start?” Sarah Prenger is the senior executive director of primary care and behavioral health at Sanford Health. She encourages everyone, regardless of age, to have a primary care doctor, someone you are able to establish and maintain a trusting relationship with. If you don’t have a primary care provider, she said a good place to start is the “Find a Doctor” tab on Sanford Health’s website. This is a great option to get to know each Sanford Health doctor, and find one who meets your needs, someone geographically close to you, someone who has clinic hours that fit your lifestyle, and someone you’d feel most comfortable with. “You want a doctor that you can connect with, someone who has the same sort of values you have. On sanfordhealth.org, you can often find information about doctor’s ideas of care, personal interests, and even comments from actual patients about their experiences with 54
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that particular doctor. The star ratings even show how past patients ranked the doctor in certain areas of care such as listening, and taking time with you,” she said. Meeting needs One of the main reasons it’s important to have a primary care provider is because it’s easier for one person to help a patient. By having just one provider, Prenger said a patient can have more confidence knowing their needs will be met, whatever they are, and all facets of their health will be considered holistically. “There are so many cool things about primary care — it’s sometimes referred to as your medical home. A primary care provider will manage everything and get to know you and your family over a long period of time. “Part of knowing you and caring for you is making sure that you get the right care from the right provider. Your primary care provider will connect you to all of our specialties internally if or when needed.” Prenger says primary care can include family medicine, internal medicine, general pediatrics, and OB/GYN. She adds that even if an individual is healthy, they still need a primary care provider to keep them healthy.
