Choosing a Primary Care Provider: Who’s Right for Me?

If you’ve recently changed health plans or moved to a new area, you’ll probably need to select a new primary care provider (PCP). It’s a task worth spending some time on, because your PCP is the person you’ll see most often for medical care, including checkups, lab tests, and non-emergency treatment for things like muscle strains or the flu. When you need to see specialist physicians or go to a hospital, your PCP coordinates that care as well.

You’ll want to select a PCP who you are comfortable with and who you trust, so that you can build a good relationship. In this article, we share some tips for selecting the right PCP for you.

Search by Location

An easy way to start your search is to determine how far you want to travel to see a PCP. Do you want to stay in your town or city, or are you willing to go farther? Using our Find a Doctor tool, you can search by a preferred distance from your address or Zip code. Be sure to click on PCP in the role/specialty section to see a list of PCPs who are in our network.

Narrow the List

Once you have a list of PCPs who are located within your preferred distance, start narrowing the list. In the search results, you’ll see a column that indicates if the PCP is accepting new patients. You can eliminate any who are not.

There is a column in the search results called specialty which indicates the PCP’s type of medical practice. Looking at this information is a great way to match up your needs to what a PCP offers. For example, if you are looking for care for yourself and your children, then consider PCPs in a family practice. If you want a doctor who only sees adults, look for one with a specialty of internal medicine. 

If you want a practitioner who has a background in natural medicine, you could look for someone with a naturopath specialty. If you have a heart condition, you might prioritize a PCP with a cardiovascular specialty. 
Some people are more comfortable with a male or female provider. If this is important to you, it can be another way to narrow the list.

Personal Details

Now that you have a shorter list, it’s time to start looking at each PCP’s details to see how well they match up with your preferences. A good way to do this is to look at the provider’s biography on their practice’s website. There may also be information on the website of a hospital or other organization they’re affiliated with. Check out their:

• Educational background, internship, and residency training after medical school
• Special interests
• Certifications
• Fellowships
• Additional languages

Practice Details

In addition to each PCP’s personal details, you should also consider what their practice offers. For example:

• •    Are there evening or Saturday hours that may be more convenient for you?
• Are practitioners available for telehealth visits, so you can see them without going to their office?
• Is there an online patient portal you can use to access your records?
• Are there additional providers working at the office, such as a registered dietitian or physical therapist, who you can visit when needed?
• Does the practice offer convenient services, such as on-site x-rays or in-house lab testing, that are important to you? 

References and Reviews

When you select a PCP, you are essentially hiring them to coordinate much of your health care. To complete the hiring process, find out what other patients think of the PCP.

• Ask family and friends which PCPs they see and what they like or don’t like about them.
• Check reviews posted on sites such as Healthgrades.

Make a Site Visit

Lastly, there is nothing better than seeing for yourself. You can phone a PCP’s office to see how responsive and courteous the staff is. You can also make an appointment to meet the PCP in person, to find out how well they listen to your concerns and to get a better feeling for how they’ll work with you.

Once you’ve made your decision, don’t forget to let us know which PCP you’ve selected. You can call our customer service team at the number on the back of your ID card or send us a secure message in the Member Resource Center. If you would like help finding a PCP, please give us a call or send an email.