Fri Aug 04 2023 00:00:00 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

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Primary Care

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Finding A Primary Care Provider

In addition to the criteria above, there are a few other things to keep in mind when choosing your doctor for family medicine, pediatrics, women's health, or men's health.

Clinic Location

Choose a primary care doctor who practices in a location that is convenient. That could be a place close to where you live, or may be a clinic that is close to where you work if you think most of your visits will take place during daytime hours. Some physicians and APCs also practice in multiple clinic locations, so you may be able to find a provider who can see you in clinics near your home and your work.

Clinic Hours

Another important thing to check is the hours a clinic is open to see patients. If you have a hard time getting in during "regular" business hours, finding a clinic that has extended morning, evening, and weekend appointments can fit your lifestyle better. This makes it more likely you will be able to get in to see your doctor not only when you are sick, but also for regular check-ups.

Appointment Availability

Before choosing a primary care provider, find out if he or she is accepting new patients. If yes, find out how long it usually takes to get a new appointment. Clinics that have a wait time of several weeks or even months to see a doctor might not be the best choice for every patient, especially those who need to see a doctor frequently for urgent or acute care. Find out if the clinic offers same-day or next-day appointments in case you need to get in for an urgent visit when you get sick. Many of our primary care physicians leave slots open on their schedule for same-day or next-day appointments.

Some doctors also see patients virtually through our Virtual Care services. These visits offer convenient hours and same-day availability for non-emergency care through your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Certifications and Training

Check the doctor's credentials—not just the type of degree that he or she has, but also whether they stay up-to-date on the latest advances and changes in medicine through board certification or affiliation with groups like:

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

American College of Physicians

American Geriatrics Society

Your Ability to Connect with the Provider

Along with finding a physician or APC who is competent and skilled at what they do, it's important that you feel comfortable with him or her. During your first visit:

Make sure the provider communicates with you in a way you understand.

Make sure you feel comfortable asking questions and discussing your health concerns.

Find out how you can communicate with the doctor's office. Many offer electronic communication through an online patient portal to make it easy to ask simple questions, receive lab results, or get medication refills between appointments.

Evaluate the staff in the office (like nurses, medical assistants, and receptionists) to ensure you are comfortable with them, since you will talk to them to schedule appointments, help with medication refills, and more.

Integrative Care: Primary Care And Mental Health

The Integrative Care network is an online professional learning community designed to increase the knowledge and implementation of integrative care involving primary and mental health care across Wyoming.

Integrative care is the care a patient experiences as a result of a team of primary care and behavioral health clinicians, working together with patients and families, using a systematic and cost-effective approach to provide patient-centered care for a defined population. This care may address mental health and substance abuse conditions, health behaviors (including their contribution to chronic medical illnesses), life stressors and crises, stress-related physical symptoms, and ineffective patterns of health care utilization.

Network participants include physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, counselors and others involved in primary care and mental health services.

UW ECHO in Integrative Care is a collaboration with the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing, with funding by a generous grant from the McMurry Foundation.

Sessions

Sessions are on Tuesdays, bi-weekly, 12:00 p.M. To 1:15 p.M. MT via Zoom video conferencing technology.

Starting this fall 2023, most ECHO sessions will be held on the new iECHO content management platform. (Geriatrics and ECHO for Families/Familias will not be on the new iECHO.) There are a few new procedures. Registering for and joining sessions now require an iECHO account. You'll be prompted to create your account when you register the first time. Sessions will still occur via Zoom, but you will access the Zoom link through the iECHO platform.

The iECHO platform will allow you to:

Directly connect to Zoom to join a session

Access all session materials (also available in the Canvas course)

A short training video is available on how to register in iECHO.

Zoom also provides access for users with physical disabilities, blindness, and low vision through a range of keyboard shortcuts.

September 12: Epidemiology and Latest Trends of Substance Use Among Wyoming Adults

This session will focus on current data and trends on substance use among adults in Wyoming. Discussion will include sources of substance use data and their limitations, current substance use health indicators, and trends and emerging issues in substance use prevention.

Presenter: Melissa Taylor, MPH, Wyoming Department of Health

September 26: Implementation and Integration of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Primary Care Practice

This session will focus on how Wyoming providers have integrated medication-assisted treatment into primary care. Discussion will include recognizing common barriers among providers and staff in implementing MAT, explaining the steps to implement a MAT program in primary care, and discussing how MAT supports recovery.

Presenter: Dr. Beth Robitaille, MD, University of Wyoming-Casper, Family Medicine Residency Program Medical Director

October 10: Addiction Screenings and Next Steps