Office Visit: Primary care – better investment than an ER visit

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As we enter the holiday season, many of us are taking stock of our blessings from the last year and expressing our gratitude for these gifts. With so much death and illness resulting from the pandemic, many of us are also expressing a new appreciation for our health. Health is a wonderful gift, but it requires our attention to be maintained.

During the pandemic, our habits might have changed. Some previously routine activities were halted in the early days of the health emergency, and by the time things reopened, these routines had been broken. For too many Oklahomans, preventive health care visits and screenings have not recovered from the initial pandemic freeze.

Since March 2020, health screenings like colonoscopies and mammograms have been put off at a great cost to Oklahomans. Patients coming into emergency rooms have consistently been sicker and have required more acute care. Instead of early detection, which leads to better outcomes, many health conditions, such as cancer, have been detected in their more advanced stages, where outcomes are less certain, and treatments are more expensive and intensive. These are concerning and avoidable trends.

Maintaining a relationship with a primary care physician is a key step to protect our health. Primary care physicians take a holistic view of our health, work with us to develop plans to stay healthy and can make sure we take the preventive steps and screenings that will help detect and address any emerging health issues in their early stages. Visiting a primary care provider is an investment in our wellness to keep us healthy and out of the hospital.

The emergency room is a great place to receive care for emergent needs, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for regular checkups with a primary care provider. When I need emergent care I go to the ER, but to keep healthy, I have a regular visit with my primary care physician. I view him as a partner in my health.

This holiday season let’s not only express gratitude for our health, let’s take steps to maintain it by visiting a primary care physician or getting a recommended health screening. This will increase the likelihood that gratitude for our health will still be on our list of holiday blessings next year.

Timothy Pehrson is president and CEO of Integris Health.