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Information > What Type of Doctor Do You Need?
What
Type of Doctor Do You Need?
Primary
Care Physician
Primary care physicians deliver basic or general care
that is intended to be the patient's first level of
contact with the medical care system. Primary care physicians
and their support personnel attend to the general healthcare
needs of the entire family. Trained in every major area
of medicine, they serve as the primary figure for a
patient's healthcare throughout life. When appropriate,
primary care physicians refer their patients to specialists
such as cardiologists, allergists or surgeons. Primary
care physicians may specialize in Family Practice, Internal
Medicine, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Obstetrics and
Gynecology, or Pediatrics.
Specialty
Care
Primary Care physicians refer patients to specialists
for consultation when healthcare needs require a particular
area of expertise. Specialists have advanced training
after they graduate from medical school and are specially
trained in a particular branch of medicine focusing on
a narrower range of services, procedures, body systems
or patients. Loyola University Health System offers specialty
care in numerous areas of medicine.
Immediate
Care Physician
Immediate care physicians treat urgent non-emergency medical
needs, usually on a walk-in basis (i.e. without an appointment).
Immediate care physicians are the ones to see when your
medical needs cannot wait for a normal appointment with
your usual physician, yet do not require the services
of a hospital emergency room. Whether you are suffering
from sprains, cuts and burns, sore throat or the flu,
immediate care physicians can provide timely care for
your urgent medical needs.
Home
Health Care
Home health care refers to medical services delivered
in the home to individuals who are aged, disabled, sick
or convalescent but do not require hospitalization. Home
health care typically is delivered by a licensed nursing
professional and may be sponsored by a variety of governmental,
private or community institutions. Common types of home
health care include basic nursing services, speech therapy,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, homemaker services
and social services.
Hospice
Hospice care provides mental, physical and spiritual support
for terminally ill patients and their families and helps
to lessen the patient's discomfort. The word "hospice"
is derived from the word for medieval way stations where
crusaders stopped to be replenished and refreshed before
moving on. In hospice care, the needs and concerns of
the whole family are addressed, and care extends through
their period of mourning.
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