Regular Family Dr or Internist?

I have a great GI and a great FP who doesn't know anything about inflammatory bowel disease to save his own life, let alone mine...but the other day when I couldn't get ahold of my GI I called my FP because I was a total mess and he had me fasttracked through the ER right away, which was helpful. So the fact that your FP doesn't know a lot about Crohn's isn't necessarily a huge problem. Sounds like you've got a "team" and that's good. I have a team of three - GI, FP, endo - and they probably have each other on speed dial (okay, maybe not). But it's good to know they all communicate, because then we're all on the same page.

My Primary doctor was also my GI. After about 15 years, his practice just became much more focused on the regular internist stuff, so I sought out another GI. But he still holds his specialty in GI as well as his internal medicine. So, he understands all the GI stuff, he's just not up on all the latest and refers me out to the other guy. At this point I'm pretty stable and only need to see the GI for follow ups and I end up seeing the internist for all the colds, and assorted other crap. But the main thing is that you have doctors you trust and who you can communicate with. So if you are happy with your doctors, and you feel your needs are being met, then why switch?