Preventive and Wellness Exams
Preventive Exams:
A preventive exam, for patients’ birth to 64years old, referred to by many as a physical or routine check-up, is a thorough physical exam of your body based on your age, sex, risk factors, family history, etc. to detect any emerging medical issues. It includes screenings (such as colorectal, breast cancer, etc.), immunizations, and a series of standard tests (such as cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.).
You can talk to your provider about your lifestyle habits and choices, including your diet and eating habits, activity levels, stress levels, and sleep habits. They can then advise you on how to break bad behaviors and develop good, healthy habits and routines that will improve your overall health.
If your provider notices any changes or issues during your wellness exam, they can refer you to whatever specialists are necessary for further testing or treatments. If you catch such issues early, treatment will be more effective, faster, and less expensive than if you don’t find the problem until much later. Diagnosing cancer early, for example, has been shown to save lives and reduce treatment costs.
A preventive exam does not include treatment for a chronic condition, illness, or injury. While we encourage you to schedule a separate appointment to address these issues, should treatment for a known issue be provided during your exam, it will be reported separately to your insurance and will apply to your non-preventive benefits.
Wellness Exams:
A wellness exam is a little different from the standard preventive exam. A wellness exam, for patients 65 years and older, is focused on how to live a healthy lifestyle and prevent common medical complications from occurring. Here are a few reasons why it’s important:
You get to talk to your Provider
A wellness exam gives you the opportunity to have extended time with your provider. You can talk about any health issues you’ve noticed lately, ask how to handle health issues that may crop up due to lifestyle changes, and have a chance to build your relationship. Once your provider gets to know you and your lifestyle, including your health history, they can then provide more personalized and effective care when medical issues arise in the future.
You can get needed referrals
If your provider notices any changes or issues during your wellness exam, they can refer you to whatever specialists are necessary for further testing or treatments. If you catch such issues early, treatment will be more effective, faster, and less expensive than if you don’t find the problem until much later. Diagnosing cancer early, for example, has been shown to save lives and reduce treatment costs.
You can build a healthier lifestyle
This is really the heart of a wellness visit. You can talk to your provider about your lifestyle habits and choices, including your diet and eating habits, activity levels, stress levels, and sleep habits. They can then advise you on how to break bad behaviors and develop good, healthy habits and routines that will improve your overall health.
They can also help you develop a personal wellness plan to reach your goals — if you want to lose a certain amount of weight or run a marathon, for example. And, if you deal with any chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, your provider can check in to see how you’re managing the disease and if you need to make any adjustments to your medications or treatment.
How should you prepare for the exam?
Before you go to the provider for your exam, put together a list of any medications you take regularly. In addition, bring any recent test results, and be ready to list your full medical and surgical history. If you have lifestyle issues you want to discuss, make sure to write those down as well. Medicare does not cover preventive exams (i.e physicals), so MaxHealth will perform a lab work up that is covered by Medicare (or your Medicare Advantage plan) during your annual wellness exam.
Now that you’re convinced of the importance of a preventive or wellness exam, our experienced team at MaxHealth is ready to make the process as painless as possible for you. Just call or text, and we’ll be ready to take your health to the next level. See you soon!