Is there anything an Internist can treat/diagnose that an FP cant?

[protoplano]

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I ask because I am thinking of FP, but want to practice in NYC. I am afraid that IM dominates in large cities and therefore the patient base would not be ample enough to support a practice.

Anyone know of a FP doc in NYC?

Thank you!

 

[dksamp]

Dude,
Read the FAQ...It will answer your question and put things in perspective.
PEACE!!!

-Derek

 

[DOtobe]

No.

Pasting from the sticky:

In a nutshell, when it comes to the private practice world of an IM vs. an FP, basically BOTH FP?s and IM?s on a daily basis handle the SAME bread & butter type of adult cases (hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders, upper respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, heart disease, rashes, etc - which will make up 90+% of your office day), and are reimbursed the SAME from Medicare and managed care insurance companies. A level 3 outpatient visit (there are 5 possible levels)?(a.k.a. 99213) is reimbursed the SAME whether you are an internist or an FP. Anything beyond bread & butter management is referred out for the SAME reasons as I described in my Peds vs. FP comparison.

 

[dry dre]

I ask because I am thinking of FP, but want to practice in NYC. I am afraid that IM dominates in large cities and therefore the patient base would not be ample enough to support a practice.

Anyone know of a FP doc in NYC?

Thank you!

I agree with the above posts that day in and day out you'll be treating the same things.

At the same time, in general, you'll be likely be exposed to more rare conditions and/or be expected to manage them in an IM program. I'm generalizing here folks, not trying to start a riot. At the same time, don't expect an IM doc to sew, deliver babies, or treat kids of course (just to name a few things).

 

[edfig99]

I ask because I am thinking of FP, but want to practice in NYC. I am afraid that IM dominates in large cities and therefore the patient base would not be ample enough to support a practice.

Anyone know of a FP doc in NYC?

Thank you!

there are hundreds of FM docs in NYC, several residencies and plenty of patients to go around for all. while there may be "rare cases" in the training program, the reality is that in the private practice world, there is little difference in the adult medical care that both of these specialists provide. the FM doc also has the opportunity to provide care to the remainder of the family not just the adults, as well as other procedural opportunities that tend to reimburse well, so it's a broader patient base.

you might not be able to provide FULL SPECTRUM FM in NYC however -- I am not aware of any FM doc in the city who has OB privileges that is NOT associated with a residency program; also some FM docs tend to stop doing procedures after residency. As Derek alluded to, you do as much or as little as you need or want to.

go to the AAFP website and you can look up to see which programs are based in NYC and hook up with someone there for more info.

-ed

 

[awdc]

If you're more inclined to do hospital medicine in NYC, I would definitely go IM. But if you really like FP more than IM, go with FP. I'm sure you'll have plenty of patients either way.

 

[ntmed]

It comes down to breadth vs. depth of training. IM physicians have 3 years of training in adult medicine. FP's have broader training, but only a few months of it are in adult medicine.

It comes down to how you expect to practice. If you think that most of your patients in NYC will be adults, it might be better to have more training in that area.