Team Building

Sure, there may be an urgent care nearby when you need it. But having a meaningful doctor-patient relationship is still* an awesome way to stay healthy now-and in the future. Learn to choose your lineup wisely.

- By Jessica Migala. Photographed by Jeffrey Westbrook

Pop quiz: What's your doctor's name? If you answered, “; or don't have one,” you're not alone. Visits to primary care physicians (PCPs) took a dive between 2008 and 2016, falling 24 percent, a recent study in Annals of Internal Medicine found. Nearly half of adults don't see a PCP at all, with younger ones the most likely to avoid the office. That doesn't mean people were tending to ills and injuries at home-visits to quick help spots like urgent care rose by 82 percent during that time.

What gives? Unlike your parents, who may have established and stuck it out with one doc for decades, frequent transitions during adulthood keep millennials bouncing around, says Sana Goldberg, RN, author of How to Be a Patient. Think about it: You started with a family MD or pediatrician, then potentially switched to the school health center if you went to college. You then moved and had to find a new pro. Inevitably, you'll change jobs or insurance providers or relocate, and have to start the process over. It takes a lot of research, intention, and time to do this, so it can feel easier, well, not to. But a medical point person isn't just a good idea it's a non-negotiable. Especially now.

SHIFT THE APPROACH