By K. Ahmed Hussain
Department of Internal Medicine

Your annual wellness exam with your primary care provider is a great way to catch potential health problems early and help keep you focused on living a healthy lifestyle. This yearly visit helps ensure that you are receiving necessary health screenings, vaccinations, lab tests, and other important aspects of your preventative care.

Below is some important information on what you can expect during your wellness visit and how you can best prepare for it.

What is included in my wellness visit?

• A physical exam, including a check of your vital signs
• A review of your medical and surgical history
• Blood tests
• Discussion of key health screenings
• Keeping immunizations up-to-date
• Counseling on preventing health problems

How should I prepare?

You should update all your current health information in MyChart before your exam, including any medications or supplements you might be taking. You should also update your medical and family health history and complete any health questionnaires. Write down any health questions you have for your primary care provider in case you forget during your visit. If you would like to lose weight, quit smoking, or start an exercise plan, this is an ideal time to bring it up with your care provider.

You may be directed to go to a lab before or after your visit to have certain blood tests performed such as a complete blood count (CBC) and lipid panel. There may be other lab tests you need depending on your age and medical history.

What about other concerns regarding my health?

It is important to understand that your annual wellness exam is limited to an evaluation of your overall health for screening purposes. This exam does not allow for a thorough evaluation of new conditions or extensive counseling of an existing condition. This is why your provider may suggest that a separate appointment be scheduled to discuss new or ongoing issues.

If your provider is able to spend time discussing issues beyond what is included in an annual exam, you may be billed for additional services. While an annual exam may not require a co-pay, if additional diagnostic or evaluation services are provided during your annual exam, you may be asked for a co-pay and receive a bill for that day’s visit. Your annual wellness exam with your primary care provider is an important overview of your overall health and can be a key way to prevent health problems in the future.