Columbia University Health Services

Primary Care Medical Services (PCMS) works with families by suggesting ways to help students maintain their health and by providing advice on guiding students toward appropriate care. We welcome requests for general information about health issues and suggestions for how a family can support a student encountering a health problem. 

In addition to offering medical care and health advice, we focus on helping students learn to manage their health and negotiate the local and national health care systems. Families can help students prepare to come to Columbia by collecting copies of important medical records and reviewing the student’s medical history including previous surgeries, hospitalizations, chronic health conditions, and treatments. These records may be brought to the student’s first medical visit in PCMS . Students should be prepared to describe any allergies they have or medications they are currently taking. 

Entering students who have any health concerns or who would simply like to get advice about a health issue should schedule an appointment with a PCMS provider when they arrive on campus. Each provider is a member of one of our three practice groups, and we encourage students to request an appointment with the same provider or a provider in the same practice group any time they return to PCMS. They may select any medical services clinicians as their primary care provider. 

PCMS understands that parents and families sometimes become concerned about a student’s health while they are away. PCMS providers follow federal standards for maintaining the confidentiality of the student’s health information when responding to inquiries from parents or family members. Please contact us for additional information about our services and our approach to providing care and promoting students’ health.