Your employer-based health insurance just took effect, and the first thing on your to-do list is scheduling an appointment with an experienced primary care physician. It’s been a few years, and you know you’re due for some preventative screenings and want ongoing medical care. That makes a preventive physical with a primary care doctor in Vienna, VA the place to start.
Below, you’ll learn what to check before you book your first visit with Dr. Connie Le at Annandale Primary Care.
What Credentials Should a Primary Care Doctor in Vienna, VA Have?
First and foremost, you want to look for a primary care doctor who is:
- Well-educated, which includes a bachelor’s degree, a medical degree, an internship, and residency in primary care/internal medicine
- Has years of clinical experience in primary care or internal medicine
- Stays current on developments within the area of internal medicine and participates in continuing medical education courses
- Prioritizes their patients’ care, wellbeing, and comfort at all times
- Known to be a reliable and trusted provider within the medical community
Dr. Connie Le earned her medical degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency there in 2003. She founded Annandale Primary Care in 2005, has more than 25 years of clinical experience, and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at George Washington University. Washingtonian and Northern Virginia Magazine have recognized her as a Top Doctor.
You can confirm each of those on a practice’s website before you call. And if you’d like to know more about Dr. Le, feel free to ask her!
How Do I Find a Primary Care Doctor to Partner With Long Term?
You’ll want a physician who plans to be there in ten years and who follows you from your physical to your sick visits. Dr. Le has been at Annandale Primary Care for two decades. When you come in sick on a day she’s booked, you’ll see Dr. Julie Whitehouse, a board-certified emergency physician with more than 30 years of experience, or another provider on the same team, and everyone works from the same chart.
What Will My First Primary Care Visit Cover After Years Away?
Before your first visit, request your records from the last doctor you saw, even if it was a college health center, and write down the prescriptions you’ve been refilling through an app. At the visit, Dr. Le will go over that list, order the cholesterol and blood sugar labs you’re due for, and give you the tetanus booster and flu shot you’ve been putting off at the same adult vaccinations visit. If the date of your last booster escapes you, it’s OK to estimate! To see what that appointment looks like step by step, read our post on what patients can expect at an annual physical in Fairfax.
How Do I Know My Doctor Will Keep Up With Me Between Physicals?
If your labs turn up high cholesterol or borderline blood sugar, your primary care doctor in Vienna, VA will set a follow-up date rather than waiting a full year, and the plan will have dates on it. Your results post to the patient portal as soon as they’re in, and a message to Dr. Le gets an answer from someone who has read your chart. When strep goes through your office in January, you’ll be seen the same day, and the notes land in the chart she reads at your physical. Our post on same-day strep throat testing in Fairfax walks through one of those visits.
How Soon Can a New Patient See a Primary Care Doctor Here?
The office often has same-day appointments available, and you can book online or call Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. For a primary care doctor in Vienna, VA, the closer of our two offices is the Fairfax, VA office on Old Lee Highway, while the Annandale, VA office is on Evergreen Lane. Most insurance plans are accepted at both offices, so bring your new card and a list of any medications to that first visit.
Schedule Your Visit at Annandale Primary Care
You’ll leave your first visit with Connie Le, MD, with your labs ordered, your vaccines up to date, and a doctor who will still be reading your chart in ten years. Call Annandale Primary Care at 703-642-6633 to book your appointment.