Wellness

Our philosophy of practice is highly focused on wellness. If you take any medications on a regular basis, or if you are over 30 years old, an annual wellness visit is essential; and our method of care is centered around this. Almost all insurance companies cover the cost of these visits, and studies show that patients who participate in annual wellness visits experience reduced cost of care, lower emergency department visits, and lower hospital admission rates. These patients also enjoy a deeper and more personal relationship with their providers, and are empowered to direct their care towards their own goals and priorities.

What is an Annual Wellness Visit?

A wellness visit is a once-a-year opportunity to sit down with your doctor when you are not typically ill. During this visit, we’ll take a look at your overall health together. A fasting annual laboratory exam (bloodwork) is an integral part of this visit. These comprehensive blood tests provide you and your doctor with a wealth of information about your current health, and identify potential problems often even before you have any symptoms. Typically, we arrange to have these tests performed prior to your wellness visit, so we can review the results in depth together. This saves our patients from having to wait and call for test results, and spares them the costs of a second doctor visit to review them. You’ll be provided with a paper copy of your test results to take home with you.

During the annual wellness visit, we will also address any chronic conditions you are being treated for (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight, low hormones, etc.) We’ll discuss therapies for these problems with a focus on lifestyle interventions to attempt to minimize the need for prescription medications. We will make arrangements for follow-up on these issues, to ensure that nothing is overlooked. If further testing is deemed necessary by you and your doctor, these tests will be ordered.

Based on the results of your blood tests and discussion with your doctor, we’ll review your medicine list, reassess the need for medications, and make adjustments if necessary. Prescriptions are renewed for the upcoming year and sent electronically to your pharmacy (typically a 90-day supply with 3 refills).

We will also look at things we can do together to prevent problems down the road. We’lll discuss any upcoming screenings and preventative measures that are recommended, and order/schedule these as appropriate.

The annual wellness visit provides you the opportunity to voice your own concerns, and get answers to any burning questions. You won’t have to compete with a computer for your doctor’s attention; we do all of our chart work on our own time, not on yours. You should leave this visit with a solid picture of your current health, a hard copy of your test results, an understanding of what those results actually mean, and a “game plan” for the upcoming year that addresses your goals.