At M Health Fairview, we believe healthcare should be accessible to our community. We have hundreds of providers and many clinic locations to serve our patients in their own neighborhoods. However, that can mean that choosing a care team is a daunting prospect, especially if you have specific conditions you would like to address. There are a lot of providers and clinic locations to choose from, each with different benefits. How do you know which provider, clinic, and even practice area is right for you?
Frequently Asked Questions
Primary care is a broad term that includes family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and women’s health. The difference lies within the types of conditions that each specialty treats most often. Family medicine providers handle comprehensive care for their patients of any age, including providing vaccines and routine check-ups and treating chronic and acute conditions. Internal medicine providers generally handle diagnosis and treatment for adults with ongoing conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and more, and may work with specialists. Pediatrics providers handle comprehensive care and only treat patients up to the age of 18. Women’s health providers handle many types of care for women specifically, including reproductive health and preventive care and screenings.
It is important to know that providers can be certified in more than one specialty, so there may be providers who handle more than one of these areas. For instance, you may have a family medicine provider who also handles obstetrics and could therefore provide prenatal care.
With women’s health encompassing prenatal care, it is important to understand the difference between the types of women’s health providers. OB-GYNs are doctors trained in obstetrics and gynecology. Obstetrics is specifically pregnancy care, while gynecology involves care for women’s issues such as breast health, sexual health, endometriosis, PCOS, and menopause.
There are also midwives and FM/OB providers. Midwives are denoted by CNM (certified nurse midwife, CM (certified midwife), or CPM (certified professional midwife) and they only handle pregnancy care and labor and delivery. FM/OB providers are providers who are trained in both family medicine and obstetrics, and so can handle comprehensive care in addition to prenatal care.
Women can choose to see a “traditional” primary care provider (such as a family medicine provider) or an OB-GYN for their primary care, or both if necessary. It all depends on what makes the most sense for your individual health.
The credentials listed after a provider’s name indicate different types of education and experience. MD stands for Doctor of Medicine. DO is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. PA-C is Physician Assistant – Certified, and NP is Nurse Practitioner.
You can start with any of these types of providers. If you aren’t sure where to go, any provider who is noted as a “primary care provider” is a good starting point. The best way to learn about a provider’s approach is to look at their bio. Each of our providers has a listing where their practice locations, areas of professional interest, and bio information is listed. This can be a great way to find a provider that you connect with and who is conveniently located for you.
Any of these types of providers are able to diagnose and treat issues that may come up in primary care, and some providers have more than one certification type.
You do not need a referral to schedule with a family medicine, internal medicine, or women’s health provider.
M Health Fairview accepts a variety of insurances. It is important to check with your insurance to see what exactly they cover, but our Bill Pay & Financial Resources page may be able to offer some guidance.
Yes, translation services are available.
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