We know, visiting your primary care provider when you are not sick is not the first thing on your mind. However, there’s some real benefits of putting an Annual Wellness Visit on your calendar:

1. You can track your health year-to-year

You and your medical provider can talk about ways you can improve your health and create an action plan. Most importantly, at your next annual wellness visit you and your provider can track the progress you have made.

2. You can catch problems early

Having a yearly visit means your medical provider can easily see changes in your health. Maybe your blood pressure is higher, or you’ve lost a lot of weight without dieting. If you skip your annual wellness visit, important changes in your health could be missed. Catching a medical problem early almost always makes it easier to treat.

3. You can share important health information

Your annual visit makes it easy to keep your doctor updated on your personal medical history as well as your family health history. This helps your primary care provider understand what could increase your chances of getting sick.

4. It helps your provider understand you better

>When you skip your annual wellness visit, you end up only seeing your medical provider only when you’re sick. It’s always harder for someone to care for you when they don’t know you well or completely understand your health problems.

5. And finally, it’s free!

With almost all health insurance plans, there’s no charge and no copay for your annual wellness visit. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t met your deductible or which type of health insurance you have. However, any tests ordered during the visit may incur additional fees.

Don’t neglect your health! If your annual wellness visit isn’t on your calendar, please contact your primary care provider’s office by phone or in MyChart today and schedule your appointment!