Regardless of your age, a yearly physical exam with your primary care physician is essential to maintain your health. An annual exam provides your primary care practitioner the opportunity to reassess your overall health and identify any preventative screenings. Staying current on your preventative screening can help your doctor identify and treat health issues before they worsen.

The number of visits to the doctor’s office depends on your independent situation and current health status. However, in general, patients under the age of 50 without any medical conditions may only need to visit the doctor’s office once a year. For individuals over 50, it is recommended to see your primary care provider at least once a year and in some situations more frequently. This once-a-year recommendation is also for anyone who takes prescription medications to help manage a health condition.

Certain chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, require frequent evaluations and monitoring that require these patients to visit their primary care physician every three months or sooner. Your doctor will determine the frequency of follow-up which is often based on several different factors.

Identifying the best type of doctor for yourself or your family comes down to your specific needs. For example, if you want one doctor capable of caring for the entire family, then a family medicine doctor may be the best choice as they provide care for children and adults. However, if you are an adult wanting a doctor for yourself, either an internal medicine or a family medicine doctor would be a good choice.

In primary care, there are doctors such as obstetrics and gynecologists who only treat the female population. In addition, pediatricians are utilized to provide treatment to children under 18 years of age. Therefore, the convenience and needs of the family are often the most common determinants of the best type of doctor to see for your primary care needs.

When searching for primary care offices in Pell City, it is important to consider these five items.

• “In-Network” providers. Check with your health plan to see if the clinic’s practitioners are considered “in-network” to avoid any surprise charges or uncovered medical expenses. Ensure the clinic has a doctor who accepts Medicare if that is your primary insurance.
• Expertise meets your health needs. Several different types of primary care physicians are available. Therefore, choosing a doctor that meets your or your family’s health needs is essential.
• Referrals. Elicit opinions from other family members, friends, and co-workers to see who they use as a primary care physician. This provides first-hand knowledge about the provider and gives you a basis for your decision.
• Logistics. Select a doctor’s office close to home, work, or your child’s school. This reduces the hassle of driving to appointments and allows you to obtain a quick check-up when you are sick.
• Make an appointment. Set up an initial appointment to ensure you feel comfortable and confident with the primary care provider. If not, there is no harm in transferring care to a different physician.

Yes. Complete Health Pell City requires an appointment for patients to be seen. This ensures that every patient’s time is respected and each patient will be attended to in the most efficient manner. However, this location contains an urgent care capable of handling walk-in patients and extended hours from 8 AM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday and from 1 PM to 6 PM on Sunday.

New patients can schedule an appointment by calling our office at 205-814-9284 and talking to one of our patient care specialists. They can get you registered and provide you with various open appointment options.

Already a patient at our clinic, the patient portal can be used to schedule your next appointment. New to the patient portal, no worries, create a new account using the easy-to-follow steps provided on the portal website. The patient portal provides you access to your care anytime and from anywhere.

When visiting a new doctor, it is important to bring your current health insurance information and any documents you need for the doctor to fill out. Have a list of your current medications, vitamins, and supplements, with the name, dosage, and frequency for each medication. Finally, create a list of questions to ask the doctor, this will ensure you get all your questions answered.