How Can St. Mary’s Medical Group Help You?

July 9, 2023

By: Stephanie Cannon, MHA Intern, UGA College of Public Health

The physician practices of St. Mary's Medical Group provide ambulatory and outpatient care services.

What is a medical group?

A medical group is an affiliation of health care providers that work together to provide services that help ensure a patient’s health and wellbeing.

St. Mary’s Medical Group (SMMG) consists of primary and specialty care services. All the professionals of the medical group work hard to uphold the mission and values of St. Mary’s Health Care System and make sure that the entire group is providing high quality care for their patients.

The physician practices of SMMG provide ambulatory and outpatient care services.

What is ambulatory or outpatient care?

Ambulatory care consists of diagnostic and treatment services provided to the “walking” (ambulatory) patient, often in a doctor’s office. Patients who have mobility issues, including those in wheelchairs, also may receive ambulatory care in an outpatient setting. Outpatient care does not require an overnight stay at a facility, and it is very common for the terms “ambulatory” and “outpatient” to be used interchangeably.

What levels of medical care are offered in an outpatient setting?

The different types of care you can find in an ambulatory or outpatient setting are primary care and specialty care. Primary care includes the point of entry into the system and the patient’s main source for routine and continuous medical care. Typically, this care is provided by your Primary Care Provider, or PCP, who may be a family doctor, internal medicine doctor, pediatrician, physician’s assistant or certified nurse practitioner. On the other hand, specialty care is a type of care used to treat a specific condition or illness. Examples include cardiology (care for the heart), neurology (care for the nervous system) and surgery.

One rule of thumb to remember is that all primary care is considered outpatient care, but not all outpatient care is primary care; specialty care can also be delivered on an outpatient basis. As you will see later in this post, SMMG consists of primary care and specialty care services, and they are all in outpatient or ambulatory care settings.

While all the physician practices of SMMG are in outpatient settings, patients who need emergency care, surgical care or acute care can be transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital, St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, or other acute care facilities when needed.

What is inpatient or acute care?

Inpatient care is care that is delivered when a patient has to be admitted to a hospital and stays at the hospital as they undergo testing and treatment. Acute care is care that is delivered for a brief period and for a more severe injury or illness. Acute care is just one level of care that can be provided at a hospital.

Learn about what services are offered a St. Mary’s Hospital.

If you need a primary or specialty care provider, be sure to review the St. Mary's Medical Group webpage to learn more about what type of care is available to you.

If I have a chronic condition, can SMMG help me?

Chronic conditions are those that may last for very long periods of time, even for life. Examples include diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart failure, stroke deficits, HIV, and more. One of the most important goals for our medical group providers is to help patients with chronic conditions manage their condition effectively. In many cases, good management can prevent complications and help patients avoid the need for hospital stays.

Is testing considered inpatient or outpatient care?

The important thing to know is that your PCP or specialist can prescribe the testing you need, when you need it. Most tests – such as mammograms, CT and MRI scans, bone density studies, echocardiograms, pulmonary function testing and routine bloodwork, to name a few – can be done on an outpatient basis. Even if testing is done at the hospital, you are considered an outpatient unless you are admitted for an overnight stay.