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Primary Care
Associates, P.C. AnMed Health Campus 2000 East Greenville Street Suite 1600 Anderson, South Carolina 29621 Telephone: 864.226.9193 |
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CHOOSING A PHYSICIAN You've just moved to a new town and need a doctor. Or perhaps your doctor has retired and you need a new one. Or you just aren't happy with the doctor you are seeing now. What do you do? The first step in finding a doctor can be simply looking in the Yellow Pages of your phone directory, or you may want to ask some friends to recommend a doctor. In Anderson, Oconee, Pickens and Hart counties, the Partners Nursewise Line can refer you to physicians who are accepting patients. The Healthwise® Handbook suggests asking the following questions when you call to make an appointment:
After you've made that first appointment, how do you size up your choice? Evaluating your new doctor begins long before you enter the examining room, according to Dr. Glenn Abernathy of Primary Care Associates in Anderson. Put your antenna up in the waiting room. Is it clean and well-lit? Comfortable? Does the receptionist seem friendly? Do you have to wait an unacceptably long time before you are called back, and does anyone apologize for it? A family doctor you are seeing for the first time will probably want a fairly long initial visit in order to take your complete medical history and discuss both immediate problems and your long-term goals for your health, Dr. Abernathy said. Your short-term goal may be to cure your sinus infection. In the long-term, you may be looking at losing weight, quitting smoking or lowering your blood pressure. Your doctor should be your partner in these goals. In sizing up your new doctor, the most important thing is your comfort level, and that's most often a matter of good communication, Dr. Abernathy said. Does the doctor seem to listen to you, or does he or she seem to be brushing you off and interrupting you before you can express your thoughts? Do you get satisfactory answers to your questions? Do you get a sense that the physician cares about you? Is this someone who recognizes their own limitations and will seek consultations with other medical specialists when needed? For more tips on choosing a physician, see page 5 in your Healthwise® Handbook. To reach the Partners Nursewise Line, call 261-2001 in Anderson County or 1-888-525-1333 in Oconee, Pickens or Hart counties. |
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