Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your usual doctor is no longer available or doesn’t meet your current health needs? Or a scenario where the chronic condition demands much deeper expertise, focused treatment plans, and advanced diagnosis?

If not, let us tell you something exciting: all similar cases require specialized care. It is so that patients may benefit from all three areas of disease: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies.

But there is still a lot to know the answer to: what is specialty care, and what are the similarities and differences between primary care and specialty care?

To make it easier to understand, we have broken the guide into four sections. Let’s check them out…

Introduction: What is Specialty Care?

The most basic question about a care specialty is about its meaning. According to the medics, it is all about the medical services rendered by experienced, highly trained doctors. For example, cardiologists and internal medicine specialists are types of professionals who are the sole caretakers of patients with chronic diseases.

One of the main objectives and aims of a specialty care provider is to focus on complex or life-threatening health concerns. These conditions are fatal, and for that, the experts need to know everything about the organ that is the problem.

However, when it comes to scheduling an appointment with specialists, you need to get a routine checkup with the primary care physician. That is the person who refers you to the specialist, and remember, that is done only if the need arises.

To get the best results, it is a must for the patient to ensure efficiency, continuity, and safety.

What are the Responsibilities of a Specialty Care Provider?

Specialty care physicians and doctors tend to have several responsibilities. Some of the main ones are mentioned below;

Responsibility #1: Handling and Managing Life-Threatening Diseases

In chronic diseases, management and care have a significant impact. For instance, if you have diabetes or any autoimmune disorder, specialists will monitor and record the progression. Then, based on the improvement, they would adjust the treatment and preventive measures.

Responsibility #2: Referrals and Regular Checkups

Sometimes complex diseases aren’t treated without the help of other specialists or doctors. With the help of other medical professionals, it becomes easier to schedule follow-up to assess recovery, the effectiveness of the treatment, and the results of ongoing wellness plans.

Responsibility #3: Strategizing Treatment Plans

Every patient comes with a specific disease or medical condition, right? And it is not justified to treat patients in the same manner, which is why primary care physicians at Indus Medical Associates in Rancho Mirage strategically develop treatment plans that suit each patient. It may include the medications and other treatment procedures, the lifestyle recommendations, and clinical guidelines.

Responsibility #4: Assessing and Monitoring Treatment Results

Another responsibility that falls on the shoulders of a primary care provider in Coachella (and their specialists there) is the regular assessment and monitoring of the treatment plan. It means everything about the treatment, from reading and seeing changes (or progression) in the past and current results, tracking of symptoms, the modification of the treatment and care plans, to the patient’s safety, is covered by the specialists.

Responsibility #5: Advanced Evaluation and Precision in Diagnosis

Next comes the responsibility where the care specialty provider identifies the nature of the complexity of the chronic health concerns. To make sure the advanced evaluation is precise, the specialists use several diagnostic tools and tests. They also use their knowledge and experience in the clinical setting. All of this leads to the health and wellness of the patient!

Responsibility #6: Patients’ Counselling and Awareness Programs

Patients are educated about their health condition by the specialists. So, the question arises: what do the specialists do to bring awareness to patients? Well, they explain the disease in a way that the patients know about the diagnosis procedures, along with the medical (or treatment) options they have to get better. Also, the kind of risks involved in the disease they have is explained in detail. Moreover, the specialists discuss the expected outcomes and how to remain informed about their progress.  

Similarities: Specialty Care vs Primary Care

There are quite a few similarities that we need to check!

Similarity #1: Main Mission of the Care

Primary care: it solemnly focuses on improving health holistically.

Specialty care: it emphasizes improving the health of specific diseases and conditions.

Similarity #2: The Focus is the Patient

Primary care: it focuses on a patient's long-term health.

Specialty care: emphasizes managing condition-specific patient care

Similarity #3: Preventive Measures and Care

Primary care: it provides services such as health counseling, screenings, and vaccinations to patients.

Specialty care: it supports health complications and prevention of specific chronic diseases

Similarity #4: Coordination in Care of the Patients

Primary care: it is more about coordinating referrals and regular follow-ups

Specialty care: it collaborates with specialists and other primary care providers.

Dissimilarities: Primary Care vs Specialty Care

Along with the similarities, there are some differences as well. For instance;

Difference #1: Practice Scope

Primary care: it is for all ages and genders.

Specialty care: it is much narrower, focused on particular conditions or organs.

Difference #2: Types of Health Concerns Treated

Primary care: it treats the most common illnesses, some basic life-threatening conditions, and preventive care.

Specialty care: it only takes care of and treats chronic or rare medical conditions

Difference #3: Referral Requirements

Primary care: the doctors in the primary care setting are mostly the first professionals to make contact.

Specialty care: specialists are referred by the primary care physicians.

Difference #4: Diagnostic Tools

Primary care: evaluations are done through basic diagnostic lab/blood work.

Specialty care: advanced diagnostics are performed by specialists.

Difference #5: Regularity of Patients’ Visits

Primary care: it could be regular and continuous care.

Specialty care: patients see specialists when needed.

Types of Specialty and Primary Care

Let’s get acquainted with the types of specialty care vs primary care.

Types of Specialty Care

·         Cardiologist: a specialist who treats and diagnoses vascular, blood, and heart health conditions.

·         Neurologist: a doctor who takes care of disorders in the spine, brain, and nervous system.

·         Dermatologist: the person who treats disorders of the nails, hair, and skin.

·         Oncologist: the specialist who treats and diagnoses all sorts of cancer

·         Endocrinologist: the specialist who handles and manages metabolic and hormonal disorders.  

·         Orthopedicians: they treat the joints, muscles, and bones. He also handles sports injuries.

·         Pulmonologist: respiration and lung diseases are taken care of by these specialists.

·         Gastroenterologist: the doctor who works on the well-being of liver conditions and the digestive system.

Types of Primary Care

·         Preventive care: it includes vaccinations, routine check-ups, and screenings.

·         Acute care: treatment of all common illnesses and minor injuries.

·         Chronic disease management: health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes that require ongoing care.

·         Health counselling: it is when the doctor provides lifestyle guidance and ways to maintain mental well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What is specialty care?

Answer: Specific treatments with targeted diagnosis and preventive measures of a chronic disease come under the care of a “care specialty”. It is actually about the medical assistance a patient receives to deliver accurate, targeted treatment. Interestingly, it has nothing to do with general medical care. Instead, specialty care focuses on fatal acute diseases.

Question 2: Who are specialty care providers?

Answer: Specialty care providers are doctors with expertise and special education in a particular field of the medical profession. These physicians are excellent in managing and handling complex health conditions, carry out advanced diagnoses, and help patients get better through customized treatment plans. Besides that, they also work alongside the primary care doctors to bring out the best in the form of patients’ wellness

Question 3: What are the main differences between specialty care vs primary care?

Answer: The main difference lies in the scope as well as focus. In primary care, the doctors manage the general health problems, the routine illnesses due to weather changes, and preventive care. On the other hand, care specialty is all about taking care of chronic diseases, their treatment, and preventive plans.

Question 4: When do you think it is best to seek specialty care?

Answer: Specialty care is best for the patients when they experience persistent symptoms or when the health condition worsens. Besides that, when patients don’t see any improvement with the primary care physicians’ help, or they are in need of advanced diagnosis and specific treatment.

Question 5: Is it essential to get a referral to see a care specialty provider?

Answer: Yes, without the referral from the primary care doctor, you can’t really get an appointment with the specialist. It is mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, it covers the health insurance, and secondly, the referrals help in connecting patients with the specialists who can handle the chronic or specific health condition.