Annual Physical or a Wellness Exam
Is this an annual physical or a wellness exam? That’s a question we hear a lot from our patients at Compassion Health Care, Inc.
It’s a great question when scheduling your appointments with your primary care provider at Caswell Family Medical Center in Yanceyville, or James Austin Health Center in Eden. Seeing your primary care provider (PCP) annually is very important to maintain the best possible health outcomes for each patient. We’ll try to explain the difference between an annual physical or a wellness exam in a simple way.
One easy way to remember the difference is that a wellness exam includes assessments, but does not include physical tests unless you have a specific diagnosis or symptom, but we’ll dive deeper into the main components of each.
The Annual Physical Exam
Remember that a key component of this exam is in its name. The annual physical is a more physically extensive exam that is typically performed by your primary care provider to check the status of your health. During the exam, your provider may perform routine lab tests, health and wellness checks, and ask questions about your lifestyle and history.
The annual physical exam may include:
- Height and weight measurement
- Medical and family history review
- Vaccines
- Vital signs check
- Blood pressure check
- Body mass index (BMI) measurement
- Assessing risk factors for preventable diseases
- Head and neck, lung, abdominal exam
- Neurological exam
- Blood work/Lab tests
The Annual Wellness Visit
An annual wellness visit, also known as the “Medicare Wellness Visit” focuses on the important discussions you need to have with your PCP or nurse. These discussions help your provider better understand your concerns so you can take charge of your own health in order to prevent diseases or prevent current diseases from getting worse.
The annual wellness visit may include:
- A health risk assessment that includes questions about your current health
- Medical and family history review
- Possible signs of memory loss or dementia, anxiety, depression, and stress levels
- Review of current providers and medications/prescriptions
- Screening for hearing loss and vision loss
- Screening for preventive services as needed
To schedule your annual physical or a wellness exam with either of our facilities, please call us. You can reach Caswell Family Medical Center in Yanceyville, NC at (336) 694-9331 or James Austin Health Center in Eden, NC at (336) 864-2795. If you are not a patient but would like to become one, you can register securely online HERE.