When we move to a new city, many of us simply forget or don’t have the time to find another primary care doctor. Here’s the biggest reason why that’s a mistake: you can get seen quicker (and possibly even same day) if you are an established patient.
Many PCP offices may have only one or two new appointment time slots per physician per day. They usually fill up, and the next new appointment slot won’t be for another week.
No primary care office will see a new patient the same day or even the next day. That means you are stuck with going to an urgent care center. That may be okay if you simply stubbed your toe, but they won’t have your medical history if you have a more complicated issue.
Bottom line: establish yourself at a PCP office. When you are sick, call the day before or the morning of, and there’s an okay to good chance they’ll see you that same day.
