Primary Care Specialist
Gaslamp Medical Center
Alfredo Quinonez, MD
Internal Medicine Physician located in Gaslamp District, San Diego, CA
There’s little doubt that a specialist such as a cardiovascular surgeon is vital to your health when your heart needs repairing. But it’s often your primary care physician who spots the need to invite that surgeon into your life. Dr. Alfredo Quinonez leads the healthcare team at Gaslamp Medical Center in San Diego, California. He is a highly qualified internal medicine physician who greatly enjoys his role as a primary care provider. You can stop in for a same day visit since walk-ins are welcome, as long as you’re willing to be patient on busy days. Or schedule your appointment for another day by calling or using their easy online tool.
Primary Care Q & A
What is primary care?
Primary care is provided by physicians who are skilled at managing and developing comprehensive and continuing health care treatment and goals for their patients. Primary care can include promoting healthy habits like quality nutrition, diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses, and providing patient education regarding long term health risks and prevention.
As your primary care physician, Dr. Quinonez essentially oversees every aspect of your medical care. He can also determine when you need attention from a cardiologist or other specialty provider. At the same time, one of the goals of a primary medical care provider is to help you become an active partner in your health, and Dr. Quinonez’s warm and down-to-earth “bedside manner” makes that easy.
Why is primary care important?
When you’re seeing numerous specialists who focus on only one aspect of your health, it’s often easy to lose sight of your general overall health patterns. A primary care physician who sees you regularly is familiar with what’s “normal” for you. This makes it easier for Dr. Quinonez to notice a decrease in your energy levels, an uptick in your blood pressure readings, or other issues that might be pointing at a more serious health issue.
Also, while other providers such as your gynecologist may be more than happy to order screening labs at your annual checkup, they aren’t typically prepared to help you understand those lab results in regard to your overall health.
Dr. Quinonez interprets the results for you and then suggests steps you can take to improve your health. For instance, if your blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet diabetic, he can provide instructions regarding nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your blood sugar levels before they hit the diabetic range.
Research has clearly shown that seeing a primary care physician helps people live longer and healthier lives and may decrease your risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other debilitating conditions.
What do primary care physicians treat?
You can see Dr. Quinonez for all your primary healthcare needs, including:
- Routine physical exams and screening labs
- Sick visits for colds, stomach flus, and other acute illnesses
- Medication refills
- Ongoing management of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic illnesses
- Flu shots and other vaccinations
Stay healthy with our primary care services at Medical