Having a primary care physician is important. After all, you need a go-to person so you can schedule an appointment to have your basic health care needs taken care of and so that you can have a doctor who can refer you to a specialist when needed. If you don't currently have a primary care physician, these are a few things you may want to look for when searching for one.

1. In Your Insurance Network

If you have health insurance, you probably want for as many of your health care costs to be covered by your policy as possible. This means that you will need to look for a doctor whose office is a part of your insurance company's network. You can call the office to ask if it accepts your insurance, or you can call your health insurance office to find out.

2. Convenient Location

No matter how much you might like a certain doctor, you probably do not want to have to travel too far for your appointments. After all, do you really feel like driving a long way or spending lots of time on a bus or other form of public transportation when you are sick? This means that you will want to choose a doctor whose office is in a convenient location. You may want to choose an office near your home, or if you generally schedule your appointments around your workday, you may want to look for a doctor near your office.

3. Comfortable and Friendly Atmosphere

Even if a doctor's office checks the above-mentioned boxes, you probably aren't going to be happy going to a doctor who you don't feel comfortable with. It can always be a bit of an adjustment to get used to seeing a different doctor, but you will want to look for an office with a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. For example, not only will you want to look for a doctor who you feel comfortable with, but you will probably want to make sure that the nurses, assistants, and office staff are all welcoming, friendly, and helpful as well.

As you can see, there are a few things that you will want to look for when choosing a primary care doctor. If you do your research about doctors in your area and if you ask friends, family members, and past doctors for recommendations, you might find that it's surprisingly easy to find a good family doctor who you can count on for your basic health care needs. Check out a clinic like Rural Health Services Consortium Inc. to get started.