The type of doctor you need to see generally depends on your current health and medical history. Doctor’s services fall into two catgories — primary care or specialty care.

Primary Care. Primary care physicians usually provide preventive care and care for many illnesses and conditions. A primary care doctor is trained to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions. He or she will also know when to refer you to a specialist for more specific care. Generally, a primary care doctor is in one of the following categories: family practice, pediatrics, general practice, or general internal medicine (internist). Some primary care doctors also specialize in a particular area of medicine. For example, an internist may have a sub-specialty in cardiology.

If you build and maintain a relationship with a primary care doctor, he or she can coordinate all aspects of your health care.When you have a health problem, your doctor can expedite your care, and help to keep expenses down by making an assessment of your condition, ruling out certain ailments, and determining if specialist care is needed. Your primary care physician can also help you choose a specialist, and coordinate treatment with the specialist you choose. Examples of services primary care physicians usually provide include:

Specialty Care. Most often, a specialist is a physician who has completed four years of medical school, followed by additional training in a specialty field. After completing the required additional training, the doctor is eligible to take a specialty examination and become board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Board eligible doctors have successfully completed the required training and are eligible to take the exams, but have not done so.

The American Board of Medical Specialties defines the following areas as primary specialties: