Learning and caring for the "whole patient" can only occur when the patient feels comfortable enough to allow the physician to understand his/her life, not just as a patient, but as an individual. This is achieved over time through the Continuity Clinic, where Residents take on first-contact, and primary responsibility for a group of patients. These patients are drawn from a variety of settings; some are discharged from Hospitals, some are referred to the practice from other specialty clinics, some are enrolled through CIFC Health's community outreach efforts and some are self-referred from our surrounding communities for primary care. This diversity of patient origin, allows Residents to learn the ambulatory diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to patients with acute illnesses, and the longitudinal delivery of high quality care to patients with chronic medical conditions.
