What is an Annual Preventative Visit?

Annual preventative visits are designed to focus on your overall health and well-being. Here’s what you can generally expect:

1. Health History Review   Your provider will discuss your medical history, family history, lifestyle choices, and any new health concerns since your last visit. They’ll also review your current medications and vaccinations to ensure everything is up-to-date.

   
   

2. Physical Exam   A thorough physical exam is conducted, often including checks on:

   • Blood pressure

   • Heart rate

   • Weight and height

   • Body Mass Index (BMI)

   • General physical condition (e.g., listening to your heart and lungs, examining skin, etc.)

     
     

3. Screenings and Preventative Tests   Depending on your age, gender, and risk factors, your provider might recommend screenings such as:

   • Bloodwork to check cholesterol or glucose levels

   • Cancer screenings (e.g., mammograms, Pap smears, or colorectal cancer screenings)

   • Bone density tests

   • Depression or anxiety screenings

     
     

4. Vaccinations   Your provider may recommend and/or administer any necessary immunizations, such as flu shots, tetanus boosters, or vaccines recommended for your age or travel plans.

   
   

5. Health Counseling   Preventative visits also include counseling on lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, stress management, and smoking cessation. This proactive approach helps you make informed choices to maintain or improve your health.

   
   

When Additional Services Might Be Billed

While an annual preventative visit covers a wide range of care, there are instances when your provider might need to bill for additional services. This happens if the visit includes care beyond the scope of routine prevention. For example:

1. Addressing New or Existing Health Issues   If you bring up specific concerns—like ongoing knee pain, a new skin rash, or symptoms of anxiety—the provider may conduct additional evaluations or treatments. These services are considered separate from the preventative visit.

   
   

2. Chronic Condition Management   If you require monitoring or treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or asthma during the visit, these services may also be billed separately (particularly if the provider is changing medications or your plan of care).

   
   

3. Specialized Procedures   Certain diagnostic tests or treatments, such as an EKG, mole removal, or ordering in-depth bloodwork that is not considered a part of routine screening, may be billed as additional services.

   
   

4. Follow-Up Care   If your provider identifies an issue that requires immediate attention or follow-up care during the visit, this may result in a separate charge.

   
   

Why This Distinction Matters

The distinction between preventative care and additional services ensures that your provider has enough time and resources to address both your routine wellness and specific health concerns. Our providers dedicate 45 minutes for annual prevention based physical visits.

While we do not routinely bill for additional services during an annual physical for our patients, we understand that important health concerns may arise during these visits. In such cases:

• We will make every effort to find additional time to address these concerns on the same day, and if possible, during the 45-minute appointment.

• If we are able to extend your visit time, we will do so and bill your insurance in accordance with the services provided.

• If the evaluation and management of these concerns require significant time and prevent us from completing aspects of the preventative visit, we will pause the annual physical and focus on your most immediate health needs. This ensures we can dedicate the necessary time to address your highest priority concerns.

Rescheduling Preventative Visits   If your annual physical cannot be fully completed during the scheduled time due to the need for additional care, we will reschedule the remaining components of the preventative visit. This ensures that we can provide the full attention and focus needed for both your wellness and acute health issues. Please note that in such cases, you or your insurance will not be charged for the incomplete annual physical visit, instead, we will submit billing to your insurance for evaluation and management services provided during the visit. This gives you the option to reschedule the annual preventative visit later in the year if you would like. (Most insurers only permit 1 preventative visit per year with no cost-sharing-- we do our best to use it when we have a visit where the majority of the care was dedicated to preventative care, this can include care of stable/well controlled chronic conditions that do not require new evaluation and management.)

Maximize the Value of Your Visit

To make the most of your office visit:

• Be Prepared: Bring a list of your medications, questions, or health concerns to discuss.

• Know Your Coverage: Check with your insurance provider to understand what’s covered under preventative care and what type of co-pay or deductible you may have for non-preventative office visits (Your insurer may refer to these services as "evaluation & management" office visits).

• Communicate Openly: Let your provider know about any health issues or symptoms you’d like to address—this helps them determine the best course of action.

  
  

Annual preventative visits are a cornerstone of proactive healthcare. Understanding what’s included and when additional services might be billed ensures that you’re informed and empowered to take control of your health journey. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions! 585.386.3860