‘It’s good to be known’: Family of five thrives with one primary care provider
Ear infection? Congenital heart condition? Pregnancy? No matter the situation, the Hoak family starts with UI Health Care’s family medicine team.
Imagine sitting in a waiting room for your child’s doctor. Sure, the room is warmly decorated and there are games to occupy the little ones, but this is their third ear infection this year. Are you dreading going through their health history again, worried you might forget something or overstate it?
Or maybe, you feel at ease because this is the doctor who sees all three of your kids as well as your husband. Maybe this family medicine physician saw you when you were pregnant, eventually delivering your children. She’ll know your history and what you need from her.
This is close to the experience of Katie Hoak and her family, who all see family medicine physician Alka Walter, MBBS, as their primary care provider (PCP) with University of Iowa Health Care.
“She is as close to being part of the family as you can get without actually being in our family,” Hoak says.
Learn more about each member of the Hoak family by clicking on their photo below.
Pregnancy care before, during, and after
When it came time for her first baby to be born, Katie Hoak got a feeling that she wanted her pregnancy care provided by the family medicine physician she saw in Iowa City, rather than in Chicago, where the soon-to-be parents had just moved from.
“I really loved that my same doctor who cared for me when I was pregnant was also my doctor after the fact and cared for my baby as well,” she says.
When it came time for her next two pregnancies, Hoak trusted family medicine to live up to their name, believing that they would take care of the entire family.
Looking at Walter’s medical profile on UI Health Care’s website, it’s clear that she is the right person to meet the Hoaks’ needs.
“From the time I decided to practice medicine, I wanted to be a doctor who was able to look after any medical condition and care for patients of all ages,” Walter writes. “Each day is an opportunity to provide health care, but also to learn something new from my patient's unique story.”
Coordinating specialty care
For the Hoak family, the unique part of their story came when Thomas—father, pastor, and avid biker—discovered he had a heart defect. Two of the couple’s three sons have the same condition. Katie Hoak says they’ve found that one of the biggest benefits of working with a primary care provider is they can coordinate the specialty care a patient might need.
“Dr. Walter was really great at getting us connected with the right people in cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, and genetics,” Hoak says. “She does an awesome job managing all of the complicated stuff that goes along with our care.”
Thankfully, the heart defect hasn’t caused any issues for Hoak family’s oldest son Jack or baby Benjamin. Thomas does have a lift restriction, but Katie says he’s taken it in stride, leaning into his love of biking and other hobbies. The family praises Walter for her compassionate and collaborative nature.
“She listens to us, she doesn't push us to do things, but informs us of what she thinks would be best," Hoak says. “I love being known by family medicine. I love the continuity of care that they provide. I love that she knows our whole family, that she knows our whole health history.”
Additional benefits
Not only does Walter act as a guide to the specialty care the family needs, but she also manages some of the more routine care like physicals, chronic ear infections for the boys, and pregnancy care for mom.
“Primary care providers dive deep into everything. It's really impressive that they have such a deep level knowledge of all these different areas of medicine,” Hoak says. “And in addition to all of that, I feel like there is excellence. They're really, really good at what they do, and I can trust them. Time and time again, Dr. Walter’s advice has been correct, and it has been good.”
Trust is vital caring for a family of three little boys, all full of energy and excitement. Walter’s expertise and care inspired one of the boys’ favorite past times.
“They really love her. They play doctor and pretend to be Dr. Walter with their doctor tools here at the house,” Hoak says.
This example just goes to show how important it is for kids to have a doctor they can count on and be known by.
“She has so much extra context about our care,” Hoak says. “For example, she’ll realize when one of the kids has multiple ear infections and that drives her decision-making. And she cares for me in the midst of it all. It’s good to be known and cared for.”