Your health, your team
In times of wellness or illness, you can turn to the primary care teams of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Your team works with you on preventive care and in the diagnosis and treatment of illness.
By partnering with a care team, you experience better care, better access and fewer return visits. You may choose your care team from these departments, each of which has a different focus: Family Medicine, Women's Health Internal Medicine, and Community Internal Medicine. The care teams of Primary Care in Arizona help people of all ages.
Whether you're healthy, sick or living with a chronic condition, your care team provides whole-person care to support your needs. Primary care is available at several locations in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Many minor illnesses can now even be diagnosed and treated online or over the phone.
What is a care team?
Your care team is home base for getting the care you need in the most convenient and supportive ways possible. It includes you, physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, and other professionals, as needed, to support your health and wellness.
The primary care providers on your team have expertise in family medicine and internal medicine. They offer a wide range of services, including preventive exams and screenings and well-child exams. They manage chronic conditions and treat minor illnesses. And they coordinate care with specialists you may need to see, such as heart doctors (cardiologists) and cancer experts (oncologists).
The advantages of care teams
- Improved access to care. Having access to a care team means convenience for you. Often, what you need can be delivered by telephone support or through Patient Online Services. If you need to see a provider, you'll be connected with the right team member to address your concerns. You may need a nurse visit for vaccinations or an exam with a doctor or nurse practitioner to diagnose and treat an illness. Your care team can determine the best route of care for your situation.
- Effective management of routine, chronic and specialty issues. Care teams will follow up with you after a hospital stay if you need support in recovering. Care coordinators will help you learn to manage multiple chronic conditions more effectively. They will help you develop a care plan focused on what matters most to you.
- Whole-person care. Your care team takes the time to listen to your questions and concerns, which may include medical, nutritional, social and drug-related issues.
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Coordinated care with specialists. If you require specialty care, your primary care team can connect you with the right support, while partnering with you on your overall care plan. You may be eligible for an electronic consult (eConsult), which helps you avoid extra appointments.
Your care team will coordinate with specialists to ensure that your care plan fits your needs, lifestyle and family circumstances. Often, community resources are available as well — and your care team can help you make those connections.
Mayo Clinic Primary Care in Arizona provides comprehensive health care for every stage of life. Services include:
- Pediatric care, newborn through adolescence
- Adult care, including preventive services, vaccinations and care for long-term conditions
- Women's health care
- Outpatient procedures
- Same-day appointments for immediate needs
- Online access through patient online services
- Laboratory services on-site
- An around-the-clock nurse line
You may choose from among several primary care locations. Not all services are available at each location. The staff on the appointment line will help you select a location. You may also reach a triage nurse or a member of your care team through Patient Online Services secure messaging.
Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Staff skilled in dozens of specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.
Find doctors and medical staff:
Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Staff skilled in dozens of specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.
Who is primary care for?
Primary Care in Arizona is for people of all ages. Whether you are healthy, sick or living with a chronic condition, we provide whole-person care to support your needs. Primary Care in Arizona includes four practices in six valley locations, each of which serves different people and needs:
Primary Care — Community Internal Medicine (Scottsdale)
Primary Care — Family Medicine Arrowhead (Glendale)
Primary Care — Family Medicine Phoenix
Primary Care — Family Medicine San Tan (Chandler)
Primary Care — Family Medicine Thunderbird (Scottsdale)
Primary Care — Women's Health Internal Medicine (Scottsdale)
What is a primary care provider?
A primary care provider is a medical professional who takes care of people with common medical problems. Primary care providers are often doctors, but they may also be nurse practitioners or physician assistants. They are responsible for monitoring your overall health care needs. They partner with other members of the team in caring for you.
Some patients receive care from medical residents. These residents have completed four years of college, four years of medical school and often 1 to 3 years of postgraduate training. They are licensed physicians who work in close partnership with your other care team members.
Will I always see my assigned primary care provider?
Your primary care provider is a member of your care team, and while he or she will continue to oversee your care, there may be instances where your needs are better met by different, more-specialized team members. The care you receive from different team members will be discussed with your primary care provider. Over time, our hope is that you will get to know the members of your team and gain confidence in the care that they are able to offer.
Who will see me at my next appointment?
The providers you see at an appointment will depend on the needs you have that day. Your team is committed to giving you exactly the care you need, in the most supportive and convenient way possible. You may need a nurse visit for vaccinations or an exam with a doctor or nurse practitioner to diagnose and treat an illness.
I've heard about care teams before. What's different about them now?
Mayo Clinic works hard to constantly improve the care provided to its patients. As part of these efforts, your existing primary care provider and care team have reorganized to work together more closely — collaborating on the care provided to each person. Some teams share the same workspace. Each time you communicate with your care team through phone, secure message via Patient Online Services or a clinic visit, your team will discuss your care. Each interaction with your care team should address all of your health concerns and provide individualized advice for improving or keeping your health.
What are the benefits of having a care team instead of seeing my own provider every time?
A care team improves your care in several ways. Instead of depending on one provider, you have a team supporting you. When you need to see a specialist, your care team will connect you to the right person. Your team will remind you when it's time for a preventive exam or wellness screening. Often, you'll be able to receive care more quickly than in the past because now you have more people prepared to meet your needs.
Why do I need to see the clinic pharmacist?
Some care teams include a clinic pharmacist. The pharmacist is a key member of the care team. On occasion, we may ask that you stop and talk with a Mayo pharmacist. Your clinic pharmacist is in close communication with your care team and helps you manage medications, identify and resolve safety issues, and make cost-effective decisions.
What are the benefits of seeing a registered nurse for an annual wellness visit?
Medicare has a program that allows for a comprehensive review of your wellness needs by a registered nurse. This is of great help to your primary care provider in making your visit efficient. Nurse visits are also used to follow up with you about chronic, stable conditions and to address some of your preventive care needs.
Do I really need an annual examination?
Maybe not. Whether you need an exam depends on your age, health status and health history, among other factors. You and your care team will determine the preventive health schedule that's best for you.
If you're concerned about health issues, don't wait for an annual exam. Call your care team to determine what kind of care is right for you.
Should I expect to receive a reminder each year about my need for preventive services or an annual examination?
If you're unsure whether you are due for a preventive exam, and this was not addressed at a previous visit, we encourage you to call and discuss this with a care team member.
How can I refill a prescription?
If you filled your prescription at another pharmacy, you'll need to make the request to that pharmacy directly. If needed, your pharmacist will contact you for more information or a renewal from your provider. Please allow about 10 days to receive your prescription.
Why should I contact my primary care team first for specialty issues instead of going directly to the specialty area?
Your primary care team is your first point of contact for all your health care needs. On some occasions, it may be more convenient for you to call dermatology, ophthalmology and other specialists as determined by their policy. But in most cases, your health history is best known by your primary care team members, and they desire to work with you to coordinate any specialty care you may need.
Who can help me figure out what care option is appropriate?
If you're uncertain about your symptoms, your care team appointment line can help guide you to the right level of care. If you're certain that you need to make an appointment (such as a well-child appointment or a follow-up visit), the staff on the appointment line will help you schedule one. You may also reach a triage nurse or a member of your care team through Patient Online Services secure messaging.
You scheduled me for an appointment with a social worker. How does this benefit me?
Efforts have been made to more closely integrate Mayo Clinic social workers into day-to-day practice. Social workers are trained to help in many ways, including counseling people on stress-related concerns and connecting them with social services.
Because your health and quality of life are important to us, Primary Care in Arizona uses a team approach to support your individual health needs. Care teams are your home base for getting the health care you need in the most convenient and supportive ways possible.
In addition to a doctor and a nurse, your team may include nurse practitioners and physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, medical assistants, clinical assistants, and other support staff. At the center of this team is you. Your primary care providers can also bring in specialists, such as a mental health expert, social worker and pharmacist.
Your primary care team
- Understands your individual needs
- Partners with you to improve your overall quality of life, in addition to healing you when you're sick
- Connects you with many types of health care professionals, including specialists or community resources as needed
- Helps you find exactly the care you need, when and where it is most convenient for you
Your primary care team works hard to anticipate your needs and alert you to preventive care, vaccinations and appropriate screenings.
Mayo Clinic Primary Care in Arizona uses a team-based model in which you work with your team of health care professionals to get exactly the care you need. Your care team works to understand your needs and goals and partners with you to achieve them.
Physicians
Physicians lead the care team. They guide your care, diagnose and treat complex health problems, create plans of care, and support other members of your team.
Primary care doctors have expertise in family medicine and internal medicine. Some of them are in the Mayo Clinic residency program. You may hear them referred to as residents. Residents are medical doctors who have entered the phase of their extensive training that includes caring for patients in clinical practices. Staff physicians partner with and guide the residents who provide your care.
Your physicians also have access to Mayo Clinic's many medical specialists, such as heart doctors (cardiologists) and cancer experts (oncologists).
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants
These primary care providers diagnose and treat complex and acute health concerns and work with doctors to identify the best plan of care for you.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced academic and clinical education at the graduate level. A master's degree in nursing along with specialty education enables nurse practitioners to diagnose and manage many common illnesses, both acute and chronic. Physician assistants are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training. Each has graduated from an accredited physician assistant program and completes extensive continuing medical education throughout their careers.
Registered nurses
If your doctor or nurse practitioner has designed a customized plan of care for you, a registered nurse will coordinate the plan. Your nurse may:
- Provide education when you're diagnosed with a new condition
- Take your blood pressure
- Conduct some well-child assessments
- Conduct some adult wellness screenings
- Diagnose and offer treatment options for common complaints — often over the phone
Licensed practical nurses, medical assistants and clinical assistants
These providers will prepare you for your appointment, coordinate your preventive screenings and give vaccinations.
Pharmacists
Clinic pharmacists are key members of the care team. They are in close communication with your care team and help you manage medications, identify and resolve safety issues, and make cost-effective decisions.
Social workers
Social workers are trained to assist with a large number of problems, including counseling people on stress-related concerns and connecting them with the right social service.
Appointment line and customer service staff
When you call or request an appointment online, you'll be helped by dedicated employees who try to connect you with the right care team member or service to meet your needs.
Nurse line
The nurse line is a convenient way to access round-the-clock advice, helping you get the right care for your needs, often without ever having to leave your home.
The nurse line offers you:
- Around-the-clock access by calling your primary care provider's office
- Help to quickly determine if your condition can be cared for at home or through a scheduled office visit, or if it requires immediate medical attention
- Prescriptions for some conditions assessed during the phone call, which can be filled at the pharmacy of your choice
Additional specialists
Your primary care team will bring onto the team pharmacists, mental health specialists and other health professionals to support you when needed. Additional experts are available to you through electronic, virtual or in-person consultations organized by your primary care provider. This will help you avoid extra appointments.
The providers you see at an appointment will depend on the needs you have that day. Your team is committed to giving you exactly the care you need, in the most supportive and convenient way possible.
Mayo Clinic's primary care teams include researchers who study many aspects of health care. Their goal is to improve how care is delivered and to build on a foundation of scientific evidence that supports the team-based model of care.
See a list of publications by primary care medicine experts at Mayo Clinic in Arizona on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.
Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.