During your Annual Wellness Visit, your doctor may recommend some of the preventive screenings listed below as a follow up to your appointment. Certain health screenings can catch early signs of common illnesses to keep you healthy for years to come. Your doctor may recommend any of these screenings based on several factors including your age, lifestyle, or family history.
We’ve listed frequently recommended screenings below along with the reasons they are typically recommended. Keep yourself healthy by following your doctor’s advice and scheduling any suggested follow up appointments as soon as you can after your Annual Wellness Visit.
Influenza Vaccination (Flu Shot)
The flu shot is recommended every year for anyone over the age of 6 months. Millions of people get the flu every year, and it has potential to become very serious, leading to hospitalization or even death. Your doctor will likely recommend the flu shot if you have not received one in over a year. This will keep you safe from serious illness as a result of getting the flu.
The flu shot is available at the locations listed below:
- Your doctor’s office
- Local pharmacies
- Grocery stores
Pneumonia Vaccination
The CDC recommends the pneumonia vaccine annually for adults age 65 or older, because this age group is at the highest risk of serious illness or death from pneumonia. Depending on your age and health history, your doctor may recommend this vaccine at your Annual Wellness Visit. The vaccine helps protect you from the 13 types of pneumonia that can cause serious infections in adults.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
A colorectal cancer screening can identify signs of cancer when you do not have symptoms. Certain tests can find growths in your colon and rectum before they become cancerous or find cancer at an early stage. 90% of colorectal cancer cases occur in adults ages 50 and older, which is why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends all adults ages 50-75 years get screened.
Your doctor will likely recommend this screening during your Annual Wellness Visit if you are between age 50 and 75 and have not had the screening in 5-10 years, depending on which screening option you choose to do.
There are several different screening test options, including:
- Colonoscopy: Doctor uses a longer, thin, flexible, lighted tube to check for polyps or cancer inside the rectum and the entire colon.
- Fecal occult blood test (gFOBT): Detects blood in a stool sample (some doctors may allow this to be completed at home)
- FIT-DNA test: Detects altered DNA using a stool sample (some doctors may allow this to be completed at home)
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: Doctor puts a short, thin, flexible, lighted tube into your rectum. The doctor checks for polyps or cancer inside the rectum and lower third of the colon.
Breast Cancer Screening
Mammograms are typically recommended for women over the age of 40 every 1 to 2 years. According to the FDA, mammograms may not find every cancer, but they can detect many breast cancers at an early stage which helps patients receive treatment early, access more treatment options, and increases survival rate. Talk to your doctor during your Annual Wellness Visit to find out if you need to get this screening.
Cardiovascular Screening
Depending on your health history and age, your doctor may recommend blood cholesterol and fat tests to check your heart health. These tests are important because they can detect conditions that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. Do your part to avoid these life-threatening occurrences by following your doctor’s advice if he or she says you need a cardiovascular screening.
According to the American Heart Association, key screening tests include:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Body weight
- Blood glucose
- Lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical activity, and diet
Statin Therapy
If you are living with cardiovascular disease, your doctor may recommend statin therapy to help lower your blood cholesterol levels. Statins are approved drugs that can reduce your risk of life-threatening cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.
Statins in available in the U.S., which your doctor may recommend, include:
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor®)
- Fluvastatin (Lescol®)
- Lovastatin (Mevacor®, Altoprev™)
- Pravastatin (Pravachol®)
- Rosuvastatin Calcium (Crestor®)
- Simvastatin (Zocor®)
Diabetes Screening
30 million Americans have diabetes, but nearly 25% have not been diagnosed. Diabetes screenings are key to detecting this condition early on. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as stroke, kidney failure, heart disease, and vision loss.
The American Diabetes Association recommends getting a blood test that can detect if your blood has too much sugar every three years starting at age 45, whether you have symptoms or not. If you’re doctor thinks this screening is necessary for you to maintain your health, you can ask them which test they recommend for you based on your overall health history.
There are several options for diabetes, which include:
- A1c: Measures your average blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months. No fasting is required before this test.
- Fasting Plasma Glucose: Measures your blood sugar level after an overnight fast of at least 6 to 8 hours.
- Glucose Tolerance Test: Measures your blood sugar level after an overnight fast and then drinking a sugary drink to see if your body can process the sugar.
- Random Blood Sugar Test: Measures blood sugar at the time you’re tested
Diabetic Eye Exam
If you are living with diabetes, your doctor will likely recommend you get a diabetic eye exam as a follow up to your Annual Wellness Visit if you have not seen an eye doctor in over a year. Diabetic eye exams are important to get every year in order to prevent eye disease, which can ultimately lead to blindness.
Need Help Scheduling Follow Up Screenings?
As you can see, scheduling the follow up screenings your doctor recommends during your Annual Wellness Visit is extremely important if you want to stay healthy. We know scheduling these follow up screenings can be overwhelming, so our team is here to help.
If you are a member of Arizona Care Network, you can contact our concierge to get help scheduling follow up appointments. We don’t want anything to stop you from getting the health screenings you need in order to stay healthy. Call 602-406-7226 or email members@azcarenetwork.org to get your appointments scheduled today.
