Family Medicine

Family Medicine Practitioners at HMC

C. Lillian Chan M.D.
(713) 781-4600

Victoria Williams M.D.
(713) 781-4600

Jianzhang Xu M.D.
(713) 781-4600

Tannique Rainford M.D.
(713) 781-4600

What is Family Medicine?

Family medicine, or family practice, is “a medical practice or specialty which provides continuing general medical care for the individual and family.”  -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Family practice often puts an emphasis on the prevention of disease and healthy living for the whole family.

What a Family Practitioner Does

The family practitioner is often the first person a patient sees when they have a medical problem.  Family doctors are trained to deal with ailments that occur at all stages of life — from childhood to the senior years — for all genders.   They must have a wide knowledge of diseases and their symptoms to diagnose patients and either provide treatment directly or refer the patient to a specialist.  They are trained to care for the whole family’s physical, mental, and emotional health, and provide personalized advice and care for patients based on their family’s health history.

Family doctors are generally only directly involved in the treatment of simple cases usually involving simple medicines or self-care treatments.  They also may monitor treatment plans to ensure the patient’s recovery and progress through health plans. Family doctors are often the medical professionals who deliver routine immunizations and screening tests.

Family physicians play an extremely important role in the healthcare system of the country.  Visits to the family physician account for one in four visits to the doctor ever year in the United States, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Education Required

Family physicians in the United States must hold either an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) or D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) degree and must have completed an accredited three-year family medicine residency.  Once these two qualifications have been fulfilled, they are eligible for a certification examination by the American Board of Family Medicine.  This certification must be re-taken every 7 to 10 years.  The American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians requires D.O.s to go through the re-certification process every 8 years.