Healthcare can feel complicated, especially if you’re new to managing your own care, caring for a child, or helping a loved one navigate appointments and insurance. Terms like “primary care provider,” “deductible,” or “referral” are often used without explanation, leaving many people unsure of what they really mean.
At Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC), we believe informed patients feel more confident and make better health decisions. Whether you’re establishing with a primary care provider for the first time or simply want to be more informed, this guide explains common healthcare terms — so you can take the next step with confidence.
What Is a Primary Care Provider (PCP)?
A Primary Care Provider (PCP) is your main healthcare doctor and your first point of contact for medical care. Your PCP helps manage preventive care, treats common illnesses, monitors chronic conditions, and coordinates referrals to specialists when needed. At COPC, your PCP leads your care team and helps ensure your care is connected across services, specialists, and hospitals.
What Is Preventive Care?
Preventive care includes screenings, annual wellness visits, vaccines, and tests designed to catch health issues early — before symptoms begin. Preventive care can help lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Many preventive services are covered by insurance at no additional cost when you see an in-network provider.
Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine: What’s the Difference?
Internal medicine physicians treat adults (18+), focusing on the prevention and management of complex medical conditions. Family medicine physicians care for patients of all ages — from children to older adults. Both serve as primary care providers, helping to coordinate your overall healthcare needs.
What Is a Pediatrician?
A pediatrician specializes in caring for infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatricians manage well-child visits, vaccinations, growth and development, and childhood illnesses. At COPC, pediatricians work closely with families to support children’s health from birth through young adulthood.
What Is an APP?
An Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA). APPs diagnose illnesses, prescribe medications, order tests, and provide treatment and work closely with your COPC physician. Seeing an APP can improve appointment availability while maintaining high-quality care.
What Is a Care Team?
Your care team includes your doctor, APP, nurses, specialists, medical assistants, and support staff who work together to manage your health. At COPC, this collaborative model helps ensure communication between providers and more coordinated care.
What Is an Annual Wellness Visit?
An annual wellness visit, also called a “well-check,” focuses on preventive care. During this appointment, your provider reviews your current vital measurements, current medications, lifestyle habits, health history, and health risk factors. Together, you will discuss any changes you've noticed in your health, and they may recommend diagnostic testing to better understand what is going on inside your body. An annual wellness visit may differ from a “physical,” which can include a more hands-on exam. Insurance coverage may vary depending on the visit type.
What Is a Sick Visit?
A sick visit is scheduled with your primary care provider when you have new symptoms like fever, cough, infection, or minor injury. These visits focus on diagnosing and treating a specific problem.
What Is Telehealth?
A telehealth visit allows you to see your provider virtually using your phone, tablet, or computer. Telehealth is convenient for follow-ups, medication management, and certain minor conditions.
What Is a SameDay Center?
COPC SameDay Centers provide quick access to care for minor illnesses and injuries, for patients aged 18 and older, when your regular primary care provider is unavailable. Same-day care helps patients avoid unnecessary emergency room visits. This service is exclusive to COPC patients. Our Pediatric Support Centers provide similar services to COPC pediatric patients from newborns to 17-year-olds.
Urgent Care vs. Emergency Department: Where Should You Go?
Urgent Care is best for minor injuries, infections, and non-life-threatening conditions. The Emergency Department (ER) is for severe chest pain, stroke symptoms, major injuries, or life-threatening emergencies.
What Is a Hospitalist?
A hospitalist is a physician who cares for you while you are admitted to the hospital. At COPC, our hospitalist program has grown to more than 90 physicians and 15 advanced practice providers working at several hospitals in central Ohio, all connected through a 24/7 Inpatient Support Center. Your COPC hospitalist communicates directly with your primary care provider to ensure nothing falls through the cracks from admission through discharge and beyond.
What Is Outpatient Care?
Outpatient care includes services where you receive treatment and go home the same day, such as office visits, lab work, imaging, or minor procedures.
What Is a Referral?
A referral is when your primary care provider directs you to see a specialist for advanced care. Some insurance plans require referrals before specialist visits.
What Is Care Navigation?
COPC’s Care Navigation service is a call center staffed by a team of registered nurses that helps patients: coordinate appointments, referrals, and follow-up care. They also triage immediate, non-emergency care, provide further medical instructions, or schedule an immediate telehealth visit with an on-call provider for evaluation. This phone line is active seven days a week, 7:30 am-11 pm, exclusively for COPC patients. Call Care Navigation: (614) 865-3125.
What Is Chronic Care Management?
Chronic care management supports patients living with long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, COPD, or asthma. These conditions require more intensive management from primary care providers, including regular check-ins, medication management, and coordinated care planning.
What Is a Co-Pay?
A co-pay is a fixed amount you pay for a healthcare visit or prescription at the time of service. The amount depends on your insurance plan.
What Is a Deductible?
Your deductible is the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance begins covering certain healthcare costs.
What Does "Out-of-Pocket" Mean?
Out-of-pocket costs include the expenses you pay yourself, such as co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance.
What Does “In-Network” Mean?
In-network providers have contracts with your insurance company to offer services at negotiated rates. Staying in-network usually lowers your costs.
What Is Prior Authorization?
Prior authorization is approval from your insurance company before certain tests, medications, or procedures are covered.
What Is the Patient Portal?
The patient portal is a secure online tool where you can message your provider, view test results, request appointments, and manage your health records.
What Are Medical Records?
Medical records include your health history, medications, lab results, and visit notes. You have the right to request copies of your records. COPC uses MyChart as our patient portal tool.
Healthcare is deeply personal. There will be many decisions to make in the uncertain moments — when a child wakes up sick, when test results leave you with questions, or when a loved one needs extra support. Even when things feel steady, you can make choices that improve and protect your future. Educating yourself on basic healthcare terms empowers you to ask the right questions, choose the right level of care, and move forward with greater confidence.
Whenever you’re ready to establish with a primary care provider, the team at Central Ohio Primary Care is here to support you with coordinated, patient-centered care.