The following content is created in partnership with University of Maryland Capital Region Health. It does not reflect the work or opinions of the NBC Washington editorial staff. Click here to learn more about University of Maryland Capital Region Health.
For those unfamiliar with the terminology, it’s easy to confuse family medicine for general practice or internal medicine. And while patients should always choose the practice that best suits their needs, it's important to understand the full range of options available. Read on to learn more about family medicine and why it might be the right choice for you.
Family medicine is a one-stop shop for most of your medical needs
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As the name suggests, family medicine is a branch of medicine designed to provide continuing and comprehensive healthcare to the all members of a family. Accordingly, family medicine practices provide healthcare across all ages, genders, and conditions, meaning a single practice will offer a wide range of specialties from pediatrics, obstetrics, and geriatrics. Thanks to the sheer breadth of expertise and range of specialties in a family practice, a patient is less likely to be referred elsewhere for specialized care.
Family medicine offers convenience for busy individuals
The range of care offered in family medicine makes it an easy choice for many, but especially for parents. Instead of visiting multiple practices for different family members, everyone in your family can receive care in the same location–expecting moms, newborns, teens, adults, grandparents and more. Treating entire families also allows doctors to better understand many factors that affect people's health, including employment, living conditions, care giving needs, educational level as well as cultural background. Additionally, many family medicine practices, like UM Capital Region Health, offer same and next-day appointments.
Family medicine promotes a long-term doctor-patient relationship
Every family medicine doctor undergoes rigorous training to address the health needs of all age groups and genders. This enables a long-term relationship between a family medicine doctor and their patients over many years. The doctor becomes better informed, and you are more empowered as a patient.
“We’re able to make a more significant impact on people’s health because of our long- lasting relationships and opportunities to interact on multiple levels at different points and important milestones in their lives,” says Alexander Kaysin, MD, MPH, medical director of the UM Capital Region Health Family Medicine Practice at New Carrollton.
Furthermore, Dr. Kaysin says, "certain family medicine practices such as our own can provide direct care for patients not just in the office but also in the hospital, including labor and delivery, the newborn nursery and regular inpatient units. This enables us to provide the highest quality of care through a deep understanding of our patients' health and the trust we are able to build."
Family medicine allows for a holistic approach
According to Dr. Donna Prill of UM Capital Region Health, family physicians don’t just treat illness.
“A benefit of seeing a family medicine physician is that we seek to optimize patient health from every angle. We consider what’s happening with patients psychologically and socially and how these factors affect their health.”
Indeed, health outcomes are dependent on countless factors, including lifestyle, diet, family history, relationships, and mental health. Thanks to the nature of their practice, family medicine doctors are uniquely positioned to consider the full scope of a patient’s life outside of a clinical setting.
Family medicine improves community-wide outcomes
Family medicine physicians make up the majority of the primary care physician workforce. This is noteworthy because of the unique vantage point that family physicians have in understanding community-level factors and social determinants of health.
“I believe that if we want to have healthier communities, we need to have healthier families,” says Dr. L. Latéy Bradford, a family physician at UM Capital Region Health.
Indeed, access to regular primary care has been shown to result in lower infant mortality, higher birth weights, higher immunization rates, lower overall healthcare costs, and longer, healthier lives. And because they consider patients' cultural traditions as well as barriers they may face in accessing healthcare, family medicine physicians are well-positioned to understand their patients and provide outstanding care.
Navigating medical care can be overwhelming, but the experts at University of Maryland Capital Region Health are ready to assist you and support you and your family in achieving your health goals. Click here to learn more about UM Capital Region Health Family Medicine in New Carrollton and National Harbor, and Suitland, which offer telehealth and same and next-day appointments.
