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What Can Your Family Medicine or Practice Doctor Do for You?
Dr. Catherine Zeh explains what family medicine is, how it differs from internal medicine, and what your family doctor can do for you.
Featuring:
Re-establishing a practice with Atlantic Medical Group in Branchburg, she is especially eager to continue working with young children and growing families, supporting their health and development during formative years.
In her spare time, Dr. Zeh enjoys spending time with her husband and family, playing with her dogs and chickens, tending her garden, and running through beautiful Hunterdon County.
Learn more about Catherine Zeh, MD
Catherine Zeh, MD
Dr. Catherine Zeh is a New Jersey native, growing up in Clinton, where she graduated from North Hunterdon High School. She graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in anthropology, then pursued her musical interests at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, completing a master’s degree in French horn performance. The decision to attend medical school fit well with her long-standing love of math and science, incorporating a humanistic application of these fields. She graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, then completed her family medicine residency at University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Zeh provided full-spectrum family medical care, including obstetrics, pediatrics, and adults at Swedish Birth and Family Clinic in Edmonds, Wa. for 14 years, before returning home to NJ.Re-establishing a practice with Atlantic Medical Group in Branchburg, she is especially eager to continue working with young children and growing families, supporting their health and development during formative years.
In her spare time, Dr. Zeh enjoys spending time with her husband and family, playing with her dogs and chickens, tending her garden, and running through beautiful Hunterdon County.
Learn more about Catherine Zeh, MD
Transcription:
Deborah Howell (Host): Welcome, we’ve all had a family doctor for as long as we can remember, but have you ever really considered all that he or she can do for you and your family? I’m Deborah Howell and this is building healthier communities with Atlantic Medical Group. My guest today is Dr. Catherine Zeh, a compassionate family medicine doctor who enjoys working with young children and growing families at Atlantic Medical Group Primary Care at Brownsburg. First of all doctor, how often should each family member see their family doctor?
Dr. Catherine Zeh (Guest): That’s a great question. It really depends on the individual, depends on their general health, their needs, and their goals for their health and their lives.
Host: But at a minimum maybe once a year?
Dr. Zeh: I would say at a minimum once a year and that may be as simple as an annual physical. It may be to check in on chronic medical problems, it may be to learn more about updates in recommended preventive care and health maintenance.
Host: Okay. How important is it to have a personal relationship and that shared medical history over the years with your family physician?
Dr. Zeh: That is really the key to the whole process is getting to know each other over the years, getting the develop that rapport and that trust over time is what makes the relationship work. It’s not as simple as going in for a physical or for a checkup, it’s really getting to know someone so when you do have a problem or a question, it’s like having a close friend or a family member to turn to in your time of need.
Host: Absolutely, family physicians are pretty often more than just doctors with fancy degrees on their walls. They often act as counselors to their patients and make life recommendations when they believe it’s necessary and they’re almost like life coaches and advocates or even like a third parent, right?
Dr. Zeh: It’s a great privilege as a family physician to be part of families at any point in their lives but especially when their families are growing and changing, it’s feeling like part of the family and I say that from my perspective, but I’ve also been in the position of a patient and having – needing a family physician to support me and my family through those times and it’s critical.
Host: You know my dad was a specialized GP and his relationship with his patients, I mean – he’s gone now but as of today I can just see him with those patients and that connection and it’s just so important and he’s the kind of guy that would read the obituaries and if he saw that a former patient had passed, he’d just go and quietly sit in the back row of that service to pay tribute to that patient. I mean, these relationships are strong.
Dr. Zeh: Absolutely, and truly it is a privilege to be part of patient’s lives and I feel like I learn so much from my patients over the years and it’s truly what brings me the most joy in my job.
Host: And also not only are you such an advocate, you also keep records, so your family medicine doctor often remembers things about your life and your kid’s life that you may have forgotten like, what year was it that Jason broke his arm playing hockey? Or oh yeah, I guess my daughter was a little bit anemic a few years ago. I mean this is really important information that only your family physician may know.
Dr. Zeh: That’s true about those medical details. One of the things that I really like to learn about my patients as well is what they do for fun. I always like to ask what do you do with your spare time, or if they volunteer, something about an upcoming vacation, or a new puppy, or something that their kids are doing, I want to know more about that and I often will make notes for myself to help prompt my memory when I see them next time, but that’s how those relationships develop over time and it helps me to learn to see them not just as a list of medical problems but as a more complete individual which they are so then I can provide even better support once I know who they are and where they come from.
Host: While we’re talking about hobbies, I understand you’re very much into playing French horn.
Dr. Zeh: It’s something that’s been very important to me for most of my life, and I don’t play it quite as much right now as I would like to but I am hoping to get back to it.
Host: Not in between patients in the parking lot? [laughter]
Dr. Zeh: It makes a little too much noise for the office – for the office setting.
Host: It’d be good for social media though.
Dr. Zeh: [laughter] I guess so.
Host: Now what should you do if you have to move across the country or overseas or your family physician retires and you have to find a new primary care physician?
Dr. Zeh: I would start by asking your current physician if there’s anyone they recommend if you have that opportunity, but if that doesn’t lead to any connections, ask your friends, ask your neighbors, ask family members who they feel like they have had relationships with. There are so many different types of people, both as patient and as doctors that it’s important to have a good match and a good relationship, but then go meet someone. It’s always fair to call an office and ask to schedule a meet and greet session to just get a brief visit about what their office is like and what that relationship might be like. It takes time to get to know someone.
Host: Absolutely, I never thought about the meet and greet thing. Sure, it’s going to be a relationship and it’s going to be a very, very important one, maybe even a life saving one so yeah have that meet and greet, very, very good idea. You’re also very involved as family care physicians in referring patients to other physicians, tell us about that relationship.
Dr. Zeh: That’s true, primary care doctors of any variety, family medicine doctors included are often the first point in care that then might require the help of some specialists and so we do referrals certainly. One of the things that I like to discuss with my patients when they come in asking for a referral is to consider whether that really needs to be a referral at this point or whether there’s something that we can do together in our office first to address their concerns. Family physicians can take care of lots of different medical problems, not just preventative care, not just physical and so my goal is to make things simple and efficient for my patients and if we can take care of their health concerns in a one stop shop sort of situation without having to do a lot of referrals, that would be great, but certainly those relationships with a specialist are also very important and I try to maintain those relationships.
Host: What do you do for the mom who’s kid just will not go to the doctor, just fights tooth and nail?
Dr Zeh: Well depends on the age. Sometimes you have a young child who – he remembers that he got shots last time he went and he really doesn’t want to go. I encourage the family to bring that kid in as often as you can, if you’re driving past the office, stop in, we’re going to give a high five and a sticker and then leave and it helps to give the child time to forget that there was anything that might have been scary, help the child to become more comfortable, to come in more often rather than less often really helps to lower the anxiety about everyone involved.
Host: That is such a simple and such an elegant solution to such a big problem these days, I mean kids won’t even go to school much less the doctor.
Dr. Zeh: [laughter] We want to make it a very safe place. For older kids, especially if they’re getting into their teenage years, I always encourage those kids to come see us and at that point we get into confidentiality laws where the child doesn’t necessarily need to tell the parent what they’re coming in for and a lot of those visits may have protected information. We all have the goal – both parents and doctors – we have the goal of having the children stay healthy and if that means they come in on their own or come in with a friend, that’s great. So just encouraging those teens to come in and develop their relationship with their doctor and to know that that is a safe, confidential space for health care.
Host: That is so, so key because sometimes these kids they just don’t know where to go and they can’t tell their parents what they’re going through.
Dr. Zeh: Right, and ideally every child has a parent or another trusted adult that they feel safe with, that they can share their concerns, but I think the reality is life is complicated, but again we all share the goal of having our children be healthy and have information to make their own choices about their life.
Host: We’re coming to end sadly of our time together, but what else should we know about family medicine doctors and their call to serve their patients?
Dr. Zeh: I love that you used the phrase call to serve because really the vast majority of us in this field are here because we could not possibly consider doing anything else because this is our passion. We could have made choices along the line to be specialists or other sorts of things, but we love family medicine and it’s those relationships over time that are so important and I love seeing people again and again and getting to know them over time. It’s a great privilege.
Host: Well Dr. Zeh, I can say just from the heart, having spent 10 minutes with you, your patients are very, very lucky.
Dr. Zeh: Well you’re very kind.
Host: It’s been an utter pleasure talking with you, really appreciate your time today.
Dr. Zeh: Thank you very much, it’s been my pleasure as well and I hope to have the opportunity to meet more of our wonderful community in my office.
Host: Sounds great, sounds like a plan. That is Dr. Catherine Zeh at Atlantic Medical Group Primary Care at Brownsburg. Thanks for checking out this episode of Building Healthier Communities with Atlantic Medical Group. Call 908-378-7227 or visit them online at atlanticmedicalgroup.org, that way you can get connected to Dr. Zeh or another provider and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check the entire podcast library for topics that might interest you. Catch you next time!
Deborah Howell (Host): Welcome, we’ve all had a family doctor for as long as we can remember, but have you ever really considered all that he or she can do for you and your family? I’m Deborah Howell and this is building healthier communities with Atlantic Medical Group. My guest today is Dr. Catherine Zeh, a compassionate family medicine doctor who enjoys working with young children and growing families at Atlantic Medical Group Primary Care at Brownsburg. First of all doctor, how often should each family member see their family doctor?
Dr. Catherine Zeh (Guest): That’s a great question. It really depends on the individual, depends on their general health, their needs, and their goals for their health and their lives.
Host: But at a minimum maybe once a year?
Dr. Zeh: I would say at a minimum once a year and that may be as simple as an annual physical. It may be to check in on chronic medical problems, it may be to learn more about updates in recommended preventive care and health maintenance.
Host: Okay. How important is it to have a personal relationship and that shared medical history over the years with your family physician?
Dr. Zeh: That is really the key to the whole process is getting to know each other over the years, getting the develop that rapport and that trust over time is what makes the relationship work. It’s not as simple as going in for a physical or for a checkup, it’s really getting to know someone so when you do have a problem or a question, it’s like having a close friend or a family member to turn to in your time of need.
Host: Absolutely, family physicians are pretty often more than just doctors with fancy degrees on their walls. They often act as counselors to their patients and make life recommendations when they believe it’s necessary and they’re almost like life coaches and advocates or even like a third parent, right?
Dr. Zeh: It’s a great privilege as a family physician to be part of families at any point in their lives but especially when their families are growing and changing, it’s feeling like part of the family and I say that from my perspective, but I’ve also been in the position of a patient and having – needing a family physician to support me and my family through those times and it’s critical.
Host: You know my dad was a specialized GP and his relationship with his patients, I mean – he’s gone now but as of today I can just see him with those patients and that connection and it’s just so important and he’s the kind of guy that would read the obituaries and if he saw that a former patient had passed, he’d just go and quietly sit in the back row of that service to pay tribute to that patient. I mean, these relationships are strong.
Dr. Zeh: Absolutely, and truly it is a privilege to be part of patient’s lives and I feel like I learn so much from my patients over the years and it’s truly what brings me the most joy in my job.
Host: And also not only are you such an advocate, you also keep records, so your family medicine doctor often remembers things about your life and your kid’s life that you may have forgotten like, what year was it that Jason broke his arm playing hockey? Or oh yeah, I guess my daughter was a little bit anemic a few years ago. I mean this is really important information that only your family physician may know.
Dr. Zeh: That’s true about those medical details. One of the things that I really like to learn about my patients as well is what they do for fun. I always like to ask what do you do with your spare time, or if they volunteer, something about an upcoming vacation, or a new puppy, or something that their kids are doing, I want to know more about that and I often will make notes for myself to help prompt my memory when I see them next time, but that’s how those relationships develop over time and it helps me to learn to see them not just as a list of medical problems but as a more complete individual which they are so then I can provide even better support once I know who they are and where they come from.
Host: While we’re talking about hobbies, I understand you’re very much into playing French horn.
Dr. Zeh: It’s something that’s been very important to me for most of my life, and I don’t play it quite as much right now as I would like to but I am hoping to get back to it.
Host: Not in between patients in the parking lot? [laughter]
Dr. Zeh: It makes a little too much noise for the office – for the office setting.
Host: It’d be good for social media though.
Dr. Zeh: [laughter] I guess so.
Host: Now what should you do if you have to move across the country or overseas or your family physician retires and you have to find a new primary care physician?
Dr. Zeh: I would start by asking your current physician if there’s anyone they recommend if you have that opportunity, but if that doesn’t lead to any connections, ask your friends, ask your neighbors, ask family members who they feel like they have had relationships with. There are so many different types of people, both as patient and as doctors that it’s important to have a good match and a good relationship, but then go meet someone. It’s always fair to call an office and ask to schedule a meet and greet session to just get a brief visit about what their office is like and what that relationship might be like. It takes time to get to know someone.
Host: Absolutely, I never thought about the meet and greet thing. Sure, it’s going to be a relationship and it’s going to be a very, very important one, maybe even a life saving one so yeah have that meet and greet, very, very good idea. You’re also very involved as family care physicians in referring patients to other physicians, tell us about that relationship.
Dr. Zeh: That’s true, primary care doctors of any variety, family medicine doctors included are often the first point in care that then might require the help of some specialists and so we do referrals certainly. One of the things that I like to discuss with my patients when they come in asking for a referral is to consider whether that really needs to be a referral at this point or whether there’s something that we can do together in our office first to address their concerns. Family physicians can take care of lots of different medical problems, not just preventative care, not just physical and so my goal is to make things simple and efficient for my patients and if we can take care of their health concerns in a one stop shop sort of situation without having to do a lot of referrals, that would be great, but certainly those relationships with a specialist are also very important and I try to maintain those relationships.
Host: What do you do for the mom who’s kid just will not go to the doctor, just fights tooth and nail?
Dr Zeh: Well depends on the age. Sometimes you have a young child who – he remembers that he got shots last time he went and he really doesn’t want to go. I encourage the family to bring that kid in as often as you can, if you’re driving past the office, stop in, we’re going to give a high five and a sticker and then leave and it helps to give the child time to forget that there was anything that might have been scary, help the child to become more comfortable, to come in more often rather than less often really helps to lower the anxiety about everyone involved.
Host: That is such a simple and such an elegant solution to such a big problem these days, I mean kids won’t even go to school much less the doctor.
Dr. Zeh: [laughter] We want to make it a very safe place. For older kids, especially if they’re getting into their teenage years, I always encourage those kids to come see us and at that point we get into confidentiality laws where the child doesn’t necessarily need to tell the parent what they’re coming in for and a lot of those visits may have protected information. We all have the goal – both parents and doctors – we have the goal of having the children stay healthy and if that means they come in on their own or come in with a friend, that’s great. So just encouraging those teens to come in and develop their relationship with their doctor and to know that that is a safe, confidential space for health care.
Host: That is so, so key because sometimes these kids they just don’t know where to go and they can’t tell their parents what they’re going through.
Dr. Zeh: Right, and ideally every child has a parent or another trusted adult that they feel safe with, that they can share their concerns, but I think the reality is life is complicated, but again we all share the goal of having our children be healthy and have information to make their own choices about their life.
Host: We’re coming to end sadly of our time together, but what else should we know about family medicine doctors and their call to serve their patients?
Dr. Zeh: I love that you used the phrase call to serve because really the vast majority of us in this field are here because we could not possibly consider doing anything else because this is our passion. We could have made choices along the line to be specialists or other sorts of things, but we love family medicine and it’s those relationships over time that are so important and I love seeing people again and again and getting to know them over time. It’s a great privilege.
Host: Well Dr. Zeh, I can say just from the heart, having spent 10 minutes with you, your patients are very, very lucky.
Dr. Zeh: Well you’re very kind.
Host: It’s been an utter pleasure talking with you, really appreciate your time today.
Dr. Zeh: Thank you very much, it’s been my pleasure as well and I hope to have the opportunity to meet more of our wonderful community in my office.
Host: Sounds great, sounds like a plan. That is Dr. Catherine Zeh at Atlantic Medical Group Primary Care at Brownsburg. Thanks for checking out this episode of Building Healthier Communities with Atlantic Medical Group. Call 908-378-7227 or visit them online at atlanticmedicalgroup.org, that way you can get connected to Dr. Zeh or another provider and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check the entire podcast library for topics that might interest you. Catch you next time!