One Doctor's Office for the Whole Family in Tampa: Continuity, Family History and the Teen Years

For many families, health care means a pediatrician for the kids, an adult doctor for each grown-up, and separate offices and records for everyone. Grandparents may see doctors in another city, or even in another state for part of the year. Information gets passed along by memory, if at all.

At AnswersMD, we think a family’s health works better when it’s cared for in one place. In Tampa, Dr. Drew Meriwether, MD, FAAP, DABIM, leads our office and cares for entire families, from newborns to grandparents. Here’s why one office for the whole family matters, and how we approach it.

Key facts at a glance

• Continuity: In a 2018 systematic review, 18 of 22 studies linked greater continuity of care with doctors to lower death rates ¹.
• Family history: Having at least one first-degree relative with a disease such as heart disease, cancer or type 2 diabetes can raise your own risk twofold or more ³.
• Teen-to-adult care: Three national physician groups recommend starting a structured transition in early adolescence ⁵.
• Ages we see: AnswersMD’s Tampa office sees all ages. Our St. Petersburg and Boca Raton offices see patients 6 and up.

How does Dr. Meriwether care for whole families in Tampa?

Dr. Meriwether is double board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine, a rare combination that lets him care for every generation of a family with fewer referrals and better coordination. He completed his residency at the University of South Florida, where he later served as an assistant professor, and worked as a hospitalist at Tampa General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital alongside specialists in cardiology, pulmonology and hematology. That work earned him the USF Health Clinician of the Year award.

“By keeping my panel intentionally small, I can be thoughtful, responsive and proactive,” he says. “I see myself as a long-term partner in my patients’ health, not just someone they see when something goes wrong.”

Every AnswersMD physician practices the same way:

• We start before your first visit, with a deep review of your past medical records, so we understand your full history.
• Testing is personalized to your risk and goals, not a one-size checklist. We use shared decision-making with every patient: if you want standard primary care that follows the regular guidelines, that’s exactly what you get, and if you want a more preventive, longevity-focused approach, we’ll build that with you.
• You get time. Visits last as long as you need.
• The same physician follows you over time and coordinates with specialists when something needs a closer look.

In Dr. Meriwether’s words: caring for the whole family

“Building rapport with the whole family is tremendously important,” Dr. Meriwether says. “Caring for a family builds a level of trust that I consider a true honor and privilege. Knowing more of the family helps me better gauge each person’s needs, building on the high standard of care every patient receives.”

“That trust made a real difference recently, when one of my patients needed to go to the hospital. Her daughter, who is also my patient, reached out to me directly to update me on her mother. Because that trust and line of communication were already in place, I was able to get her mother the appropriate care quickly, which in this case meant hospital care.”

Does seeing the same doctor over time make a difference?

“Continuity of care” means seeing the same physician or small team over time, so the person caring for you knows your history.

What the research shows: A 2018 systematic review in BMJ Open examined 22 studies of continuity of care with doctors and mortality. Eighteen found that greater continuity was associated with lower death rates ¹. The studies were observational, so they show a strong association rather than proof of cause and effect ¹.

Why it matters for families: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) describes patient- and family-centered care as an approach built on partnership among patients, families and clinicians. It recognizes that the information families provide is essential to good clinical decisions ². The AAP’s policy statement, reaffirmed most recently in December 2025, lists principles such as listening to and respecting each child and family, and sharing complete, honest and unbiased information with them on an ongoing basis ².

Why does family health history matter so much?

What it is: A family health history is a record of diseases and conditions among your blood relatives. Because families share genes, environments and habits, that history can point to higher-than-average risk ³⁴.

What the CDC says ³:

• Family history can identify people at higher-than-average risk for many common diseases, including heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
• Having at least one first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) with a disease can increase a person’s risk twofold or more.
• Family history also matters for less common conditions, such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis.
• People at higher risk because of family history might benefit from earlier screening or other prevention.

A built-in reminder: In 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General declared Thanksgiving National Family History Day, to encourage families to learn about and write down their family health history ³.

What to collect: The CDC suggests using family gatherings to write down which conditions relatives have had, the age when each was diagnosed, causes and ages of death, and your family’s ethnic background, then sharing that record with your healthcare provider ⁴.

When one practice cares for several generations of a family, the history doesn’t have to be reconstructed from scratch at each visit. With each person’s permission, the details one family member shares can help their physician think about screening for others.

“Family history is, of course, very important,” Dr. Meriwether says. “And knowing the family gives me a much better baseline understanding of the challenges they face. Coronary artery disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, mood disorders, autoimmune disease and other chronic illnesses often carry forward to the children. When I know what the parents faced, and exactly which medications and approaches helped them, I can draw on that experience when another family member develops the same condition. For instance, I care for a family with a history of mood disorders. Because I knew which medication had worked for the parent, I used the same medication for the next generation, with success.”

At AnswersMD, family history shapes how we test. For example, every new patient gets a baseline EKG, unless they already see a cardiologist and have several on file. For most adults over 40 with high cholesterol, depending on family history, we often recommend a coronary CT angiogram (CCTA), a detailed scan of the heart arteries, because it can show soft plaque that a calcium score can miss. Whether to go further than the standard guidelines is always your choice, made together with your doctor.

Want to see how it works? We invite you to a complimentary meet & greet and office tour at our Tampa office, which Dr. Meriwether leads. Book at answersmd.com or call 813-333-8888.

When should teens start moving to adult care?

Moving from pediatric to adult care is a big change for young people and their families. In 2018, the AAP, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians published a joint clinical report on supporting this transition in the medical home ⁵.

What the report recommends ⁵:

• Start the transition process in early adolescence, not at the last pediatric visit.
• Use a structured approach, known as the Six Core Elements of health care transition: a transition policy, tracking progress, assessing the young person’s readiness, planning, the transfer or change in approach, and follow-up.
• Help teens build the skills to manage their own care, with increasing privacy and independence over time.

Without changing doctors: Not every transition involves a new office. Got Transition, a national resource center on health care transition, publishes a version of the Six Core Elements specifically for family medicine and Med-Peds clinicians. In that model, the young person stays with the same clinician while care shifts to an adult approach, including adult privacy, consent and shared decision-making ⁶. That’s how it works when one physician cares for a child from the early years into adulthood.

“I encourage families to be part of their teenager’s appointments,” Dr. Meriwether says. “I also ask parents to step out for part of the visit so the teen and I can have a private discussion, which is kept confidential, within the limits of Florida law. It’s important for parents to stay involved in their teen’s care, but this is also the time to start encouraging teens to advocate for themselves.”

“During these visits, I often speak directly to the adolescent rather than to the parents, to reinforce that habit of self-advocacy. I encourage teens to learn their own medications, if they take any. They also have my cell phone number, which gives them direct access to me for personal conversations they’d rather not have with their parents in the room. That extra layer of communication helps keep them safer and healthier.”

What does “double board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics” mean?

Some physicians are board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. One route is a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency, usually called “Med-Peds.” It takes four years, and graduates are eligible for certification by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics ⁷⁸.

According to the American College of Physicians ⁷:

• Med-Peds physicians can care for patients across the spectrum from birth through late adulthood.
• Their training spans newborn assessments, well-child visits, childhood illnesses, and acute and long-term care of both children and adults.
• Because of their dual training, they are well suited to care for adolescents, especially those with complex or chronic conditions, as they move into adulthood.

“Understanding disease across the entire lifespan is a very powerful tool,” Dr. Meriwether says. “Congenital heart defects are a good example. They require very specific surgical and procedural interventions at particular stages of life, along with long-term monitoring, and they can affect heart health well into adulthood, including the risk of heart failure. Having experience with these patients at every age allows me to provide a higher level of care, both in the moment and over the long term. The same perspective applies to many other chronic conditions that persist from childhood into adulthood. Many are common, such as asthma, allergies and eczema, ADHD, anxiety and depression, obesity, high blood pressure, type 1 diabetes and autoimmune conditions.”

“It also means there’s no need for a formal ‘transition’ from a pediatrician to a family medicine physician or internist at age 18. My patients can stay with me throughout their lives. And because I know the specialists for both children and adults, I can help bridge the move from pediatric to adult specialists if that hasn’t already been arranged.”

How can families stay active together?

The most important thing for staying healthy, at any age, is to keep moving. Here’s what the CDC recommends for each age in the household ⁹¹⁰:

Age group	CDC recommendation
Preschoolers (3–5)	Physically active throughout the day
Children and teens (6–17)	At least 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity; vigorous, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity each at least 3 days a week
Adults 65 and older	At least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity (or 75 minutes vigorous), muscle strengthening at least 2 days a week, plus balance activities

For adults, we encourage daily activity plus strength training at least three days a week.

What should you ask when choosing a primary care doctor for your family in Tampa?

1. Which ages do you see, and at which locations?
2. Who will we see at each visit, and how do we reach that doctor between visits?
3. How will you use our family health history, and how do you keep each person’s information private?
4. How do you handle the teen years, including private time with teens and the move to adult care?
5. How do you coordinate with specialists and hospitals if one of us needs one?

Where can my whole family see one doctor in Tampa?

AnswersMD’s Tampa office at 2330 W Horatio St, led by Dr. Drew Meriwether, MD, FAAP, DABIM, cares for patients of all ages, so parents, kids and grandparents can see the same physician who knows the whole family. AnswersMD is a membership primary care practice. Each physician cares for an intentionally small panel, so there’s time for every question, for as long as you need.

We also have offices in St. Petersburg (1201 5th Ave N, Suite 408) and Boca Raton (1801 S Federal Hwy), which see patients 6 and up.

When parents ask where they and their children should get primary care, Dr. Meriwether invites them to come meet him and see whether having one physician who knows the whole family is the right fit.

The best first step is a complimentary meet & greet and office tour. Book at answersmd.com, or call 813-333-8888 for Tampa or St. Petersburg, or 561-933-3333 for Boca Raton.