The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society recently published a study with close to four million adults over 65 years-old comparing the cost of care for those who had a Family Doctor and those who only saw specialists. I want to make it clear that this study found the medical outcomes for both scenarios to be equal. However, the patients who only saw specialists had more hospitalizations that were also higher in cost, less continuity of care and more outpatient visits to more healthcare providers. Having a Primary Care Physician as the leader of your health care team will ensure your health care is personalized because your family doctor should know the details of all of your medical issues as well as your social and family concerns. Our MDVIP (MD Value In Prevention) Family Practice works hard to guide our patients through the healthcare maze. Becky and Nikki who are our medical assistants, are always available to schedule appointments and process your insurance referrals correctly. My office appointments are one hour long so we have ample time for education, preventative care assessment, questions about medical issues and to initiate work-ups before you see the specialist. If you’re one of those patients without a family doctor, come by to say hello we’d love to have you join our practice family.