When you’ve been with a primary care doctor for years and then they retire, you may wonder if an internist can cover your medical needs the same way. If you’re deciding whether an internal medicine doctor in Reston, VA is the right kind of physician to take over your physicals and your women’s health visits, the answer becomes clear at your first appointment with one.
So, what happens when you sit down with Dr. Connie Le, the internist who founded Annandale Primary Care?
What Does an Internal Medicine Doctor in Reston, VA Do Differently From a Family Doctor?
Both an internist and a family doctor complete four years of medical school and three years of residency. The difference is that an internist’s three years are spent on adults only, so the thyroid, the migraines, and the blood pressure that tend to show up in your 30s and 40s are the bread and butter of her training. Dr. Connie Le finished her internal medicine residency at George Washington University in 2003, founded Annandale Primary Care in 2005, and has been treating adults ever since.
How Quickly Can I Get In After My Old Doctor Retires?
You shouldn’t have to wait months. Same-day openings are common at Annandale Primary Care, and a new patient can usually book a physical within days, online or by phone on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The practice takes most insurance plans, and your chart follows you between the two offices. You’ll choose the Annandale, VA office or the Fairfax, VA office on Old Lee Highway, both a reasonable drive for anyone searching for an internal medicine doctor in Reston, VA.
Will an Internal Medicine Doctor Handle Everything My Old Doctor Did?
At your first visit, you’ll go over what your retired doctor managed for you, from your yearly physical and pap smear to any prescriptions you refill. Dr. Le will take over each of them, including the thyroid medication or the migraine prescription, and she’ll refer you to a specialist only when something falls outside her scope, with the referral sent from your chart so the notes come back to it.
Your annual physical and pap smear can be done at that same first visit, so you won’t need a second appointment to get caught up. Our post on same-day internal medicine appointments in Fairfax shows how she fits sick visits around your physical.
How Do I Transfer My Records to My New Doctor Without Starting Over?
You’ll sign the records-release form your old practice sent before your first appointment with an internal medicine doctor in Reston, VA, and your old chart, including last spring’s pap smear result and the thyroid labs from the fall, arrives before you do. Try to bring your medication list and the date of your last physical, and if you can’t remember the exact month, it’s OK to estimate!
Dr. Le will read through what came over and ask about anything missing, such as the flu shot you got at a pharmacy. From there, everything lives in one chart at Annandale Primary Care, and a message through the patient portal reaches her between visits.
Who Will I See at the Practice if I Get Sick Between Doctor Visits?
If you wake up with a fever during the workweek, you can usually be seen the same day for same-day care for cold and flu symptoms, either by Dr. Le or by another provider on her team, such as Phuong H. Nguyen, PA-C, whose primary specialty is internal medicine. Either way, the notes go into the chart Dr. Le reads at your physical. If a UTI hits on a Tuesday, you’ll get in that day, too, and our post on same-day UTI care in Fairfax shows how that visit goes.
Schedule Your Visit at Annandale Primary Care
You’ll leave your first visit with Connie Le, MD, with your records in one chart, your labs ordered, and a physician who plans to see you next year. Call Annandale Primary Care at 703-642-6633 to book your appointment.