Primary Care Clinician Plays Crucial Role in 92-Year-Old’s Medical Care

Patricia Kost knew something wasn’t quite right. She was a little short of breath and she had a cough, and sometimes she was too tired to walk to her mailbox.

So the 92-year-old Allentown woman made an appointment with her primary care clinician, Elena Brinker, CRNP, of LVPG Internal Medicine–1230 Cedar Crest in Allentown.

“She got ahold of my problem right away,” Kost says of Brinker. “Once she figured out the issue, she referred me for specialized care, and she continues to follow up with me.”

It turns out that Kost had an iron deficiency in her blood. When that was corrected, the breathing problems and cough and tiredness cleared up.

Kost also recently was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, and she is being treated with oral medications.

Even though Kost sees specialists for the blood issue and cancer treatment, her primary care clinician still plays a crucial role in her care.

“Sometimes I have questions about what other doctors say, or what they find in the tests that they order, and I can always talk with Elena about them,” Kost says. “She always answers my questions.”

That’s the beauty of choosing and seeing a health care professional for primary care, Brinker says. “Your primary care doctor or clinician can oversee the whole picture of your health,” she says. “With Patricia, I am like a middleman, a translator, of the complicated medical details of her care.”

Choosing a primary care clinician is especially important for Medicare patients, Brinker says. “People who are on Medicare tend to be a bit older, and can sometimes need a little more explanation of their complex medical issues,” she says. “That’s where your primary care doctor can really help.”

As a Family Medicine certified registered nurse practitioner, Brinker is trained and licensed to diagnose medical problems and prescribe medicines and therapies for patients in collaboration with a physician.

Family medicine clinicians, whether physicians or advanced practice clinicians like Brinker, are the first point of contact for their patients. They can be valuable partners by helping patients navigate the health care system.

The lasting and trusting relationships – and strong bonds ­– that develop between family medicine clinicians and their patients can lead to better and more comprehensive health care for people of all ages.

“It’s very important for everyone to have a yearly checkup,” says Brinker, “so we can find any issues early and make sure the appropriate treatment begins.” She points out that Medicare and many health insurance plans pay for these annual exams with little or no cost to the patient.

“Elena has been so kind to me,” says Kost. “If it had not been for her, I may not have gotten the tests and started treatment for the blood issue and the cancer. Then where would I be?

“I’m feeling much better now,” says Kost. “Elena’s care, and her caring attitude, have really improved my quality of life.”