They want a physician who serves as an advisor and counselor for all their health care needs. Striving for the right balance makes my work challenging and interesting, but it also raises questions almost every time I see a patient. I find my way through these questions by focusing on the patient. The patient's needs dictate my answers. When I am asked whether primary care physicians do too much or too little, I answer that the whole of medical care cannot be embodied in a single physician, nor can any one physician meet every patient's needs.
Medical practice is a team sport.
And primary care doctors have an important role on the team. But we must also use our special skills and training to provide patients with a comprehensive, compassionate point of contact with the health care system. Our role is to sort out the patient's health care needs and determine the best course to take. Patients come to me describing vague symptoms and immediately request a referral to a specialist. I can ask the right questions and work with the patient to clarify what's needed, treat the common problems, identify the uncommon ones, and refer accordingly.