There are different kinds of health care options that can help you feel well, and enjoy overall good health. The different kinds of health care that are available run the gamut of specialty care. For example, if you suffer with back and spine problems then you will visit with a back and spine specialist.
Understanding the different kinds of health care options will help you to get the health care that you deserve. Seeing the right specialist for your health care needs is the best way to get the focused health care that will get you on the road to wellness.
Let’s Start With Emergencies
There are a lot of illnesses and injuries that can require emergency care. Trauma and emergency care is a specialized field and one of the different kinds of health care options. Typically, acute injury or illness needs immediate care. You can find this type of care in the emergency room in your local hospital.
Visits to the emergency room should only be used for the most immediate type of illness or injury. For example, you are having chest pains or you need stitches, the emergency room is warranted. If you are suffering from a sinus infection, getting care at your hospitals emergency room is not the place to go.
For acute health issues that are not quite at the level of an emergency room visit you can seek urgent care treatment at your area urgent care center. Urgent care centers are like the go-between a family doctor visit and an emergency room visit. They can take care of many of the problems that people go to the emergency room for but at a fraction of the cost and typically with a much shorter wait period.
Emergency rooms have longer wait times because they have to categorize the type of emergency that they are dealing with. For example, you need stitches but someone is brought in by an ambulance that is unconscious, that person will take priority. In the urgent care centers categorizing illness or injury typically is not as much of an issue as it is in a trauma center.
When you are seen in an emergency room or you receive urgent care treatment at an urgent care facility, it is to get you stabilized and to start treatment, you will be referred to a health care provider for follow up treatment.
Different Kinds of Health Care Based On Life Cycle Needs
At each stage of life, health care needs vary. Some of the different kinds of health care are based on what life stage the patient is in. For example, some doctors specialize in pediatrics. Pediatric medicine focuses on the disease and illnesses, as well as, the wellness of children from the age of birth to 17.
A pediatric doctor is well versed in both common and rare childhood diseases. They are also well versed in prevention, nutrition, and other health factors that affect children. A pediatric specialist is the best place to get health care for children.
Senior care doctors or geriatric doctors specialize in the care of seniors. They are well versed in the health challenges that many seniors face. They specialize in geriatric medicine, can quickly diagnose senior health problems, and can design a health care plan that help seniors enjoy a great quality of life.
The different kinds of health care options are designed to meet the individuals’ specific needs during that specific time in their life. Things like patient comfort, patient education, and individualized care are focuses on these types of health care practices.
Different Kinds of Health Care That Is Considered Alternative or Natural
The different kinds of health care are not only broken down by age or specialty but they are also broken down into several other categories including:
- Natural medicine. Naturopathic approaches tap into the natural healing power of things found in nature like herbal remedies and supplements.
- Alternative medicine. Alternative practices like acupuncture have been around for centuries and use your body’s natural abilities to heal and get you on the path to wellness.
- New age medicine. New age medicine includes a range of treatment practices that can include crystals and other modalities.
Exploring different kinds of health care options can help you to find the right combination of treatments to compliment your lifestyle. Some alternative medicines are quite mainstream. For example, chiropractic care is very popular.
Initially chiropractic care was used to treat back injuries and neck injuries, but this type of care has a lot more to offer. Chiropractors focus on the skeleton of the body and ensuring that pathways are aligned.
Chiropractors can treat a wide range of health concerns, including, migraines, allergies, ear infections in children. They focus their treatment on a whole-body approach. When you visit the chiropractor a health history is taken like it is at most every provider, but the chiropractor also collects information about your lifestyle, and nutrition.
Many people use a chiropractor as their family physician for all their health care. Just as many people use a chiropractor in conjunction with more traditional western health care.
Other Different Kinds of Health Care
There are other essential different kinds of health care providers like dental practices. Your physician can take care of your physical needs but they cannot take care of your oral health needs. For your oral health to stay in top condition, you need to see a dentist.
Within the dental arts other specialists take care of special dental needs including orthodontists that provide orthodontics treatments like braces to straighten teeth. Other dental specialists include endodontists, cosmetic dentistry specialists, and dental surgeons.
Taking care of your oral health should be a part of taking care of your overall health. Healthy teeth and gums are just as important as a healthy body. Of course, dentists are not the only professionals that you should be seeing outside of medical health providers.
The other different kinds of health care are equally important and include:
- Opthomoligists. These medical professionals specialize in diseases of the eye.
- Optomitrist. These medical professionals specialize in vision.
- Physical Therapists. These are specialists that focus on helping you get back on your feet after an injury or surgery.
- Oncologists. These specialists treat cancer.
There is a litany of medical specialists for just about every ailment out there. You must see the right specialist to get the right treatment. In other words, visiting an oncologist when you should be seeing a urologist is a waste of time.
There is a medical specialist for just about every system in your body. Cardiac specialists focus on the heart, urologists focus on the urinary tract system, orthopedists focus on the bones in the body, every system has a specialist to go along with it.
Making the Right Choice
With most health insurance companies there is a process in place that has to be followed for you to see a specialist. You may have a primary care provider that oversees your health care. That primary care provider will make “referrals” to the specialist to get specialty care for complaints or conditions that they cannot handle within their own practice.
For example, a visit with your primary care provider reveals some abnormalities in your blood work. To be on the safe side your primary care provider wants to get more diagnostic testing done by a specialist to determine if the blood work is pointing to a kidney problem. He or she will refer you to a urologist for further diagnostic testing and treatment.
Some insurance companies allow you to make specialty appointments on your own, however, even when you make the appointment on your own, your primary care provider will be the “team” lead for your treatments.
Laws That Protect Your Information
The different kinds of health care options are all governed by the health care law known as HIPPA. HIPPA prevents your information from being shared with anyone, including other providers, without your express written consent.
You have to fill out a form to release any of your health care information or to share that information with other providers. For some people, this is an annoyance, for others they are glad that the laws exist to protect their medical information.
HIPPA laws are in place to help protect patients from information being leaked about their medical conditions that can affect their ability to remain employed, their living arrangements, and even their personal information. These laws came about during the AIDS crisis when people were being shunned and discriminated against if word got out that they had AIDS or HIV.
No matter which different kinds of health care you are receiving, no one has to know about your medical conditions or the treatment that you are receiving. That is entirely between you and your doctor.
One of the benefits of having these health care laws in place is that you can move with confidence when you meet with your provider and be completely honest. You can share your concerns and worries with your medical provider and not have to worry about them telling anyone.
Different Kinds of Health Care Options Can Help You Stay Healthy
For many people combining the different kinds of health care is the best way to get on the road to wellness and staying on it. The first step in taking advantage of the different kinds of health care is to find a primary care provider (sometimes called a general practitioner) that can oversee your health care needs.
Your primary care provider should be a medical provider that you feel comfortable with. This provider will oversee all your medical care. When you go to a specialist for specialty care the diagnostic testing results, and other information will be sent to the primary care physician (with your permission of course). The information that is shared will be saved in your medical records at the primary care providers office and can be used to ensure you are getting the right care.
Each specialist can work in conjunction with other specialty providers to create a care plan that is unique to your needs. You can build a team of doctors that will ensure that you get the health care that best suits your needs.
We mentioned earlier that some insurance companies allow you to make your own specialty appointments, but it is always best if you have a general practitioner as a provider that they can make them for you. It is better for your health to ensure that one person is overseeing all of your care and that can keep up with the testing and treatments to ensure that you are getting the care that you need.
Many people take advantage of having a primary care provider to manage their health care needs. All of your medical records can be centralized with a primary care provider, and easily accessed, with your permission to help specialists make a more accurate diagnosis and deliver more customized treatment options. Using a primary care provider can also ensure you get to the right specialist.
Early Intervention and Prevention
Understanding the different kinds of health care can help you to get the early intervention and preventions that you need to take care of your health. The old saying that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, still holds true today.
Having regularly scheduled doctor appointments can help your doctors to come up with a treatment plan that can offset many of the complications that arise from untreated disease. For example, lifestyle changes can be a very powerful tool in the early stages of hypertension, diabetes, and other health issues. Early discover of these health problems can mean that you and your doctor can devise a treatment plan that helps you get your health issues under control.
Partnering with a health care team that is focused on prevention and early interventions can get you on the path to wellness and ensure that you stay there. Different kinds of health care treatments can give you the results that you need to live a happier, healthier life.
