So, you found a general practitioner (i.e., doctor). Now, you want your kids, your spouse, and your parents to see the same doctor because you think this doctor is that good. Here is what you need to do to make that happen, and make this doctor your true family doctor for your whole family.

Register Your Kids with the Doctor

​Transferring the kids over to this doctor is the easiest thing to do. All you have to do is bring the kids in for check-ups or physicals, and bring copies of their records if the pediatrician's office is not part of the same healthcare system as this new doctor. (It helps to have a backup doctor to take the kids to when your pediatrician is booked solid.) Then this doctor can see the kids whenever you need him or her to see them. 

​Encourage Your Spouse to Make the Switch

​Your spouse may be trickier to convince. However, there will come a day when his/her doctor has no open appointments and your spouse is desperate to see someone, he/she can schedule an appointment with this new doctor. Then he/she will have a patient file on record with the new doctor, and can see this doctor anytime. You just have to make sure you are all on the same insurance and that your doctor takes that insurance.

Extended Family Residing with You

​If your elderly parents or other extended family live with you, you can try to convince your relatives/parents to try this new doctor. It may be more convenient and a shorter distance to travel for them to see a doctor, which is a good argument if they frequently need someone to drive them, pay for a taxi, or ride a bus. Most doctors take Medicare, so your elderly relatives/parents will be quite alright if they choose to start seeing the new doctor. If your relatives are not fully cognizant, suffer from dementia, or have Alzheimer's, then you can easily switch doctors for them as you are the designated caregiver.

​If It All Works Out

​If this all works out and everyone in the house begins seeing the same doctor, congratulations! You officially have a family doctor that treats all members of the household. Going forward, you can even schedule appointments for more than one family member back to back so that the whole family can be seen in one trip. 

For more information, get in touch with a business like Vidant Health.

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