Internal Medicine

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Internal Medicine Overview

Internal medicine physicians, also known as primary care physicians (PCP), provide care for the adult population’s day-to-day medical needs, offering comprehensive medical evaluations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. An internal medicine physician can serve as a patient’s primary care provider for both chronic and acute medical conditions. They are also trained to care for more complex medical issues.

Internal medicine physicians treat conditions including:

Allergies
Arthritis
Cancer
Diabetes
Digestive disorders
Diseases of the heart and blood vessels
Geriatrics
Infections
Kidney diseases
Respiratory disorders

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an internal medicine, or primary care, physician do?

A primary care physician is the first person a patient talks to about a health question or concern. Primary care physicians develop long-term relationships with their patients – getting to know them, their history and their health care preferences. Internal medicine physicians are trained in complex adult care and can address a wide variety of health concerns. Patients might ask for help from a PCP for:

Any medical questions that arise
Treatment of common illnesses
Preventative care (stopping illness before it happens), which includes screenings and vaccinations
Early detection of illnesses or conditions, such as cancer
Management of chronic or long-lasting conditions such as high-blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes
Questions regarding family history
A referral to a specialist

What is the difference between an internal medicine physician and a family medicine physician?

Internal medicine physicians specialize in diagnosing, treating and preventing disease specifically in adult patients. They provide wellness visits, management of long-term problems like blood pressure, and they also treat acute illnesses.

Family medicine physicians receive training to care for both children and adults. Their training is broad-based to include wellness checkups, disease management (like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.), and routine illnesses or injuries. Some patients like to have the whole family treated by the same physician, while others may transition to family medicine after they “outgrow” the pediatric age group. Family medicine physicians also have training in women’s health services.

What to discuss with your internal medicine physician?

Prior to your appointment, make a list of a questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with your physician. A few examples of important topics to discuss are:

What wellness tests should I have done?
Can you help explain my test results and what it means?
How does my family history affect my risk for certain conditions?
How can I eat a more nutritious diet? What is the best exercise plan for me?
I’m concerned about “X.” What precautions should I take? How worried should I be?
How often should I schedule an appointment?

What’s the difference between chronic (ongoing) and acute (minor) medical conditions?

An acute illness is generally a short-term condition that only last a few days or weeks such as the flu. Chronic conditions are generally long-term conditions that may last months or years such as high blood pressure.

Why should I see an internal medicine physician?

It is important to talk about preventive care with your doctor. A primary care physician serves as the key team member to your overall health care team by providing routine and preventive screenings to prevent and monitor chronic conditions. A few examples of preventive screenings and care are immunizations, blood pressure screening, mental health assessments, diabetes screening and diet and exercise counseling.