Why does something like seeing the same doctor play such a big role in a persons health?
A couple of reasons. One is that having continuity of care matters in terms of access to what tests have been done before, what tests are available, whether you know the various dimensions of that individual’s problem. As an emergency physician, virtually every encounter we have is a new patient encounter. When you’re starting with someone from scratch versus knowing the person, knowing how they relate their symptoms, having access to prior patient information, all this can make a great deal of difference in both the efficiency with which you can approach their problems as well as their understanding and buy-in to managing their health condition. During an episodic, single, focused encounter, this continuity of care may be less crucial, but in terms of keeping someone healthy and managing chronic disease over time, it’s far more efficient and generally far more productive if you’ve got an established relationship with a provider. Q: What happens in your emergency department when someon
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