How annual physical compares to a wellness exam

If you’re like many of us, you only go to the doctor when you’re sick. If that sounds like you- you may be missing out on a chance to optimize your health. For people over the age of 65, that’s two chances. Medicare offers annual wellness exams which are different than your annual physical.

Fort Myers doctor Julia Belanger wants to flip-the-script on medical visits. “I think most people think of going to the doctor when they’re sick. And I personally think that’s the worst time to go to the doctor, because then you take care of one problem,” Belanger said.

Belanger is a primary care doctor with VIPCare. She supports the current trend in medicine, which is to get ahead of problems. The annual physical is one way to accomplish that. It includes physical tests and screenings. “Getting your mammogram, Pap smear, colon cancer screening, skin checks, everything you could possibly do to try to keep as healthy as possible. Regular blood tests.” These blood tests include ones looking at cholesterol and blood sugar. The PSA is another important test for men. By keeping tabs on these metrics, doctors can see trouble coming.

The annual wellness visit takes another approach. In 2011, Medicare launched free wellness exams that are aimed at prevention and assessing a person’s overall wellbeing. “Medicare has been sort of working on what is (in) your annual wellness visit. You’re supposed to have certain things done by your doctor, like assessing your fall risk as you get elderly. Assessing your medications on every single visit. We’re supposed to have an annual depression screener to catch for that,” Belanger said.

The wellness exam is not a duplication of the physical, rather it is an added benefit. Just one more reason to see your doctor in sickness, and in health.

Now is a good time to make plans. The Medicare Open Enrollment period opens Oct.15 running until Dec 7. This is the window for people to sign up or change their Medicare coverage.