At Novant Health, your primary care team is your first point of contact for non-emergency medical needs. They play a vital role in helping you stay healthy through annual physicals designed to catch and treat health issues early. They may recommend changes in diet and exercise and/or prescribe medications to treat high blood pressure and other conditions that can lead to chronic illness.

Your primary care team can also treat you for the flu, aches and pains and other complaints that are not life threatening. In some instances, they may be able to see and treat you the same day via an in-person or virtual sick visit. In other instances, they may refer you to a specialist like a cardiologist or orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation and/or treatment.

Your PCP will go over your medical history, ask relevant questions about your lifestyle, and conduct a physical exam and routine screenings. Your PCP will also assess your immediate health concerns. If necessary, they’ll refer you to a specialist.

To find and book an appointment with a Novant Health primary care physician near you, use our Physician Finder or our Physician Matcher tool.

We recommend seeing your primary care physician at least once a year. If any new healthcare concerns arise or you live with a chronic health condition, you may need to see your PCP more than once a year.

With our Physician Finder, you can schedule your routine annual checkup with a primary care physician in minutes.

Our primary care physicians regularly perform the following:

• Conduct physical examinations
• Draw blood for routine tests
• Run diagnostic tests, such as a urinalysis
• Provide education and counseling
• Manage your medications
• Provide referrals to specialists as needed
• Vaccinations

For a more comprehensive list of services provided, please contact your PCP.

Our primary care physicians treat a broad range of conditions. When you see your PCP for a condition they don’t usually treat, they’ll help by referring you to a specialist.

Some of the most common conditions treated by PCPs include:

• Acute illnesses such as colds, coughs, rashes, infections, and minor aches and pains
• Urinary tract infections
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Ear infection
• Management for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high cholesterol, and more

For a more comprehensive list of conditions treated, please contact your PCP.

There are several types of primary care physicians:

• Family medicine physicians specialize in the treatment of children and adults.
• Internal medicine physicians specialize in the treatment of Individuals 18 years of age and older.
• Pediatricians specialize in the treatment of babies and children and will see patients up to the age of 21 or when they have graduated from college.
• Geriatricians specialize in the treatment of individuals 65 years of age and older

To help prepare for your PCP visit, we’ve compiled a list of commonly asked patient questions. Asking your PCP these questions can help them provide you with the best resources and guidance:

• What are some common health concerns for people my age?
• What tests do you recommend if I want to check my ______?
• What lifestyle changes do you recommend for improved ______?
• Do you recommend that I see a specialist for ______? If so, can you refer me to one?
• Can I manage this condition with diet and lifestyle changes?

You can use these questions as a starting point, but we encourage you to add any that relate to the reason for your visit or that will help you manage your condition.