Primary Care
A Primary Care physician or advanced practitioner is the first contact to meet your health care needs. This physician will provide preventive health services, basic or initial diagnosis and treatment and supervision of your health care.
When other specialists need to be involved, primary care providers coordinate your care and manage difficult medical problems that are associated with that care.
Primary Care consists of these specialties:
- Family Medicine - Family medicine physicians are concerned with the total health care of the individual and the family and is trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments in children and adults.
- Internal Medicine - Internal medicine physicians provide comprehensive, long-term, general medical care for patients in office and hospital settings. They are trained in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of numerous diseases and conditions, and manage the common illnesses and complex problems of adults and the elderly.
Your primary care provider could be:
- a physician (MD or DO)
- a physician assistant (PA)
- a nurse practitioner (NP)
Our physicians and mid-level providers (NP, PA) work as a team to provide your care. The services they provide include:
- Health care for existing medical needs
- Preventive care services
- Managing chronic conditions
- Coordination of care with medical and surgical specialists
You may hear the term "Medical Home." The following information describes what it is and what it means to you as a patient of a Billings Clinic's family medicine or internal medicine physician.
What is a patient-centered "Medical Home?"
A patient-centered medical home is where a team of health professionals work together to provide all of your health care needs. With advanced technology, using our electronic medical record, we coordinate your care and provide the best possible care for you. Billings Clinic Primary Care is certified by National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a patient-centered medical home.
Having a medical home feels like having an old style family doctor, but with a team of professionals to provide the best possible care for you.
Who is part of the Medical Home Care Team?
This team may include a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, nurse, navigator, and pharmacist as well as other health care professionals. These team members are like having health coaches who help you get the care and services that are right for you.
Your Medical Home Care Team
- Knows you and your health history.
- Makes sure you understand your condition(s) and how to take care of yourself. They help you sort through your options and make decisions about your care.
- Helps you coordinate your care. They will help you find specialists, get appointments, and make sure specialists have all the information they need.
It is important to communicate with your care team. Review the articles in the right column of this page under "Patient Checklist" for ways to get the most out of your visit with your health care provider(s).
Participate in the Management of Your Health
PatientConnect is a personal online tool that gives you convenient access to your medical records. You can:
- view your medical notes from your health care provider, your radiology and pathology results, your upcoming appointments
- request a prescription renewal through the secure message tool
- communicate with your doctor's office by sending a secure message
- Login or learn how to sign up for this free online tool.
