Comparing Internal Medicine and Family Medicine

The field of medicine consists of various areas and numerous different types of doctors. It may make some patients feel like they need a medical degree just to select the right medical provider.

Choosing a physician is a deeply personal and significant choice, and there is no single correct answer, as every person is unique with varying needs. Therefore, understanding the difference between terminology is important.

Some practices, such as Colorado Primary Health Care, facilitate both family medicine and internal medicine.

Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides medical care not only for individuals but also for their families. The scope of family medicine is encompassing because it is built around a family rather than a single individual.

Family medicine has a broad spectrum of care, including persons of all ages and genders and each organ system and disease. They can enter your life at any stage, regardless of your age, and offer care throughout your entire life rather than just a specific phase like pediatrics.

Internal medicine physicians specialize in treating adult patients, picking up where pediatrics ends. Since internal medicine doctors limit their care to adults, they have more in-depth knowledge to treat adult illnesses and each organ system.

Internal medicine doctors are trained to handle complex cases involving patients with multiple health issues or chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, internal medicine physicians are typically the best choice for adult patients with one or more chronic or long-term health conditions.

Both family and internal medicine physicians offer preventative care to their patients. Additionally, each can serve as someone’s primary care provider. While they share these aspects in common, the two specialties have a few core differences.

One key difference between internal medicine and family medicine is their patient base. Family doctors provide care to all the members of the family unit, including infants to adults. In contrast, internal medicine focuses on adult patients.

Since family medicine doctors often see children, much of their practice involves administering vaccinations, providing checkups, and practicing preventative care through patient education.

Internal medicine doctors spend much of their time diagnosing a broad variety of illnesses and diseases in adults, devising treatment plans, prescribing medications, and performing minor procedures or surgeries on patients.

If you are an adult and require medical care, an internal medicine doctor can render the treatment you need for almost any condition. These physicians can treat minor issues such as urinary tract infections or allergies along with more serious problems such as asthma or heart disease.

For those with multiple chronic conditions like high cholesterol , diabetes, or high blood pressure, you should seriously consider partnering with an internal medicine provider since they specialize in handling complex medical cases.

Selecting an internal medicine provider is essential for managing your long-term health. It can be hard to know what questions to ask a provider or what information to consider to determine if their services will fit your current and future needs.

Below are a few items to consider when selecting an internal medicine doctor.

Some benefits of having your internal medicine physician serve as your primary care provider include the following:

1.     Having your complete medical history and laboratory test results stored at the same practice

2.     Added convenience from having the same physician treat multiple conditions, so you do not have to see a separate specialist for each illness or disease

3.     Receiving a more precise diagnosis based on their symptoms resulting in the best treatment plan

4.     Decreased medical expenses by reducing illness through preventative care and early detection of disease and illness

5.     Robust and long-term patient/physician relationship throughout your adult life

Dr. Andy Fine opted to practice primary care internal medicine because he wanted a specialty that would allow him to get to know patients and establish long-term relationships. He took a particular interest in internal medicine because of its complex nature and the ability to see a broad array of various illnesses.

He was drawn to the field because it provided more residency training on diagnosis, treatment, and nonsurgical management of adults, thus allowing a deeper knowledge and skill set in adult illnesses than family medicine offers.

Dr. Andy Fine has spent more than 15 years as an internal medicine doctor in Littleton, Colorado, and is board-certified in internal medicine. He combines his knowledge of internal medicine with the primary care services he offers at Colorado Primary Health Care.

The staff at Colorado Primary Health Care is devoted to delivering comprehensive health care to every patient. We provide a wide range of medical treatments and services, including onsite imaging, to provide the highest level of convenience to our patients.

Our office is in Littleton on West Dry Creek Circle near West Fremont Avenue and South Broadway. Our location allows us to conveniently serve the areas of Littleton, Ken Caryl, Columbine, Bow Mar, Englewood, Southglenn, Greenwood Village, Castlewood, and Northridge.

If you are seeking a family medicine doctor or an internal medicine provider in the Greater Denver area, please contact our office at (303) 703-8583 or book an appointment using our online form.

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