General Practice Policies

In a general practice doctor's office, the type and number of policies is typically left to the discretion of the individual physician, or group of physicians. However, there are a few policies nearly universal among these practices.

History

• One of the first and most important policies is taking a patient's medical and family history. This is especially important if the patient is seeing the doctor for a disease with a strong genetic component, such as cancer or diabetes.

Privacy

• Privacy laws require that each client be informed of how their personal health information will be protected by the office, as well as the legal steps they can take if they feel this was done inadequately. These regulations are address in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Physicals

• Finally, upon a patient's first visit to a new physician, most professionals perform a complete physical exam. Some doctors even do this each time they see the patient, especially if there is a great deal of time between visits.