A Wellness Exam Is Preventative Medicine
Yearly wellness checks and exams are very important to ensure good health and wellness. These visits can aid in early detection and prevention of many medical conditions. Annual wellness checkups aren’t head-to-toe physical examinations and focus more on prevention. To make sure that your health is staying in tip-top shape, don’t skip your annual wellness visit! Keep reading to see what HealthCARE Express recommends for your annual wellness checks.
What Is A Wellness Exam?
Wellness exams are a type of preventative care. These checks are used to develop or update your personalized plan to help prevent disease and disability, based on your current health and risk factors. Wellness exams are different from physical exams and problem-oriented visits. Instead of diagnosing a current health problem, which is diagnostic testing, wellness checks focus on finding problems in their early stages. Wellness checkups are preventative, and prevention (even if it is just slight) can go a long way and keep small problems from growing into large ones.
During a wellness visit, your doctor will consider your Health Risk Assessment, family history, and current health to create a personalized prevention plan. This plan will improve your engagement, help you prevent illness, and promote preventive healthcare. Annual wellness exams help to figure out how healthy you are and to build the framework for future care.
Your physician will ask for most of this information, so it is important that you have it all on hand.
You should bring these items to your wellness check-up:
- Medicare card or another insurance card
- Your Medical records
- Your family’s medical records
- A list of your health care providers
- A list of medications and supplements you take
What Happens During A Wellness Exam?
Wellness exams give your doctor an overall status update on your health. Once they see how you are doing, they can help you make choices to promote better health and aid in catching problems early. During your wellness visit, your doctor will have you answer a questionnaire about your health, called Health Risk Assessment. The assessment isn’t too long and shouldn’t take you any longer than 20 minutes. Your answers to this assessment will give your doctor important information to discuss during your exam. The doctor will also collect information about psychosocial risks, behavioral risks, self-assessment of health, demographics, and activities of daily living like walking, bathing, and medication management.
Your doctor will ask for your current medication profile, your medical history, and your family medical history. Your weight, height, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) will also be acquired by your doctor. A discussion of your health choices and lifestyle may also take place. You may want to figure out all of this information prior to your appointment, to ensure that nothing is left out during the exam.
Depending on your age, risk, and gender, you could go through different types of screenings, like cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, mammogram, pap test, osteoporosis, or STD screening. Your doctor may ask you about current stress, physical activity, diet, or drug use such as tobacco and alcohol. It is key to be honest during discussion at your wellness checkup so that your doctor can make the most informed plan for you.
At the end of the exam, the doctor will create a list of risk factors and treatment options and offer you personalized health advice. Use your wellness exam to create more focus on your physical and mental health, along with your overall well being. It is important to tell your physician about any health problems, concerns, or problems during your wellness visit. Don’t be afraid to start a dialogue about your health! The quality of your healthcare will improve greatly when you communicate your health history well. Be sure to write down any questions you have for your physician before your visit.
Schedule Your Annual Wellness Visit With HealthCARE Express
If you are looking to schedule your wellness checkup, HealthCARE Express has got you covered. Our team of expert medical professionals are here to provide you with high-quality medical care services. With 17 locations across Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, here at HealthCARE Express, we are ready and available to help you! Visit our website to find a location near you, stop by in person, or give us a call to chat about the best route for you and your annual wellness check-up.
Your visit is crucial to maintaining good health, so schedule your yearly wellness exam with HealthCARE Express today!
