Health care’s quarterback

As state and federal regulators continue to experiment with health care reform, Marylanders will be faced with tough choices about where we will seek care and how we will afford it (“Hospital rates vary greatly in Maryland,” Dec. 6). Even though these decisions are becoming increasingly hard to make, a skilled primary care physician can help you select the best options for you.

While many internists and pediatricians also provide primary care services, only family physicians are trained in the care of the entire person throughout the lifespan. We are present at the beginning of life — throughout pregnancy, during delivery and in the newborn period. We help patients get the best start at life — providing childhood vaccinations, monitoring growth and development and screening for threats like lead poisoning and child abuse. We continue care in the middle of life — managing chronic diseases like high blood pressure and depression, screening for serious health threats like cancer and helping patients overcome unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drug addiction. And our care extends into the twilight of life — supporting the elderly in aging gracefully within their communities and helping patients and families through the dying process once cure is no longer possible. We are often privileged to care for multiple generations of the same family, often at the same visit.

Dr. Kisha N. Davis, Baltimore The writer is president of the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians.