About Primary Care at Lahey Clinic

In Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington's Department of General Internal Medicine (GIM), we work together to provide you with high quality care. Our health care team includes: primary care physicians, resident physicians, medical students, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, clinic assistants and medical secretaries. Our administrators design and refine systems to help ensure that the department runs as efficiently as possible, which allows the medical staff to focus on providing care.

Guy T. Napolitana, MD - Department Chair

Betsey L. Crawford, MD - Department Vice Chair

What Is a Primary Care Physician?

Your primary care physician (PCP) is a doctor who gives you personalized advice and care and manages your overall health. Your PCP provides continuing care for your medical needs and preventive screenings to help you stay well. Your doctor also diagnoses problems and coordinates laboratory testing and imaging (radiology).

If you have a complex health problem, your PCP will refer you to specialists within the Clinic. If you need to be hospitalized, your PCP will communicate with the hospitalists about your health history and follow your progress during your stay.

The staff physicians in the Department of General Internal Medicine at Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington are board certified in internal medicine. They have earned medical degrees, completed a one-year internship and trained for two to three years in an accredited internal medicine residency program. Their knowledge is kept up to date by attending conferences and continuing medical education courses.

Why Choose Lahey?

High quality. That's the top reason people choose Lahey for their primary care. Each day, as many as 500 patients receive care in General Internal Medicine (GIM), more than in any other department at Lahey. But each one is given personalized attention and treatment.

Our primary care physicians have expertise in dealing with diverse medical problems. Working in health care teams with nurse practitioners and physician assistants, they establish ongoing relationships with patients, allowing them to gain insight into their individual needs. They promote healthy living through screenings to prevent disease as well as careful management of chronic conditions. Backed by a full range of medical specialists, our general medicine internists provide comprehensive, coordinated care.

Lahey has consistently exceeded the national 90th percentile in HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) measures—the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. Lahey's adult primary care providers achieved high marks for screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer, care of patients with diabetes and care of patients with depression.