What Happens During a Wellness Visit?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsImportance of a Wellness VisitWhat to ExpectHow to Prepare

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Importance of a Wellness Visit

What to Expect

How to Prepare

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A wellness visit is a health check-up that is typically conducted on an annual basis. It involves visiting your healthcare provider to check your vitals,screen for any physical or mental health conditions, and develop a healthcare plan for your needs.

The aim of a wellness visit is to promote health and prevent disease and disability.

This article explains why annual wellness visits are important, what you can expect during the process, and how to prepare for it.

Even if you don’t feel sick, wellness visits are important.

Prevent Diseases

Most healthcare visits (not wellness visits) are categorized under “diagnostic care;” when you have a health problem, you visit a healthcare provider who assesses your symptoms, diagnoses your condition, and prescribes a treatment plan.

A wellness visit, on the other hand, is a preventative healthcare measure. The aim of preventative healthcare is to help you maintain good health and prevent health problems before they develop. The goal is to help you live a longer, healthier life.

Wellness visits assess your lifestyle, evaluate health risks, and screen for physical and mental health conditions in order to prevent health problems or catch them in the early stages. Instead of waiting to see a healthcare provider once you have a health problem, the idea is to be proactive about your health and work with your healthcare provider to prevent health problems.

People tend to think that it’s fine to skip their annual wellness visit if they’re feeling healthy. However, a 2021 study notes that wellness visits can play a role in catching chronic health conditions early, as well as helping people control for risk factors (such as family health history and lifestyle issues like alcohol consumption) that could cause them to develop health issues down the line.

Reduce Medical Costs

Wellness visits can help prevent disease and disability, which in turn can help reduce medical costs. According to a 2016 study, a focus on preventive healthcare can significantly reduce medical costs and improve the quality of healthcare services.

Essentially, catching a possible health problem “upstream” (before it becomes a real issue) means that there will likely be fewer costs of more serious or extreme healthcare measures later.

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What to Expect During a Wellness Visit

These are some of the steps a wellness visit may involve:

The screenings, assessments, and healthcare plan can vary depending on factors such as your age, gender, lifestyle, and risk factors.

How to Prepare for a Wellness Visit

These are some steps that can help you prepare for a wellness visit:

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A wellness visit can help you evaluate your health status, understand your risk for specific health conditions, and give you the information and resources you need to improve your health.

After you go for a wellness visit, it’s important that you start implementing your healthcare provider’s advice, take any follow-up appointments necessary, and take steps to improve your health.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get your wellness visit every year.University Hospitals.What you need to know about wellness visits.Liss DT, Uchida T, Wilkes CL, Radakrishnan A, Linder JA.General health checks in adult primary care: a review.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2294-2306. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6524Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A.The impact of personalized preventive care on health care quality, utilization, and expenditures.Popul Health Manag. 2016;19(6):389-397. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0171Alzheimer’s Association.Annual wellness visit.University of Michigan Health.Your yearly wellness visit.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get your wellness visit every year.University Hospitals.What you need to know about wellness visits.Liss DT, Uchida T, Wilkes CL, Radakrishnan A, Linder JA.General health checks in adult primary care: a review.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2294-2306. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6524Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A.The impact of personalized preventive care on health care quality, utilization, and expenditures.Popul Health Manag. 2016;19(6):389-397. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0171Alzheimer’s Association.Annual wellness visit.University of Michigan Health.Your yearly wellness visit.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get your wellness visit every year.University Hospitals.What you need to know about wellness visits.Liss DT, Uchida T, Wilkes CL, Radakrishnan A, Linder JA.General health checks in adult primary care: a review.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2294-2306. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6524Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A.The impact of personalized preventive care on health care quality, utilization, and expenditures.Popul Health Manag. 2016;19(6):389-397. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0171Alzheimer’s Association.Annual wellness visit.University of Michigan Health.Your yearly wellness visit.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Get your wellness visit every year.

University Hospitals.What you need to know about wellness visits.

Liss DT, Uchida T, Wilkes CL, Radakrishnan A, Linder JA.General health checks in adult primary care: a review.JAMA. 2021;325(22):2294-2306. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6524

Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A.The impact of personalized preventive care on health care quality, utilization, and expenditures.Popul Health Manag. 2016;19(6):389-397. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0171

Alzheimer’s Association.Annual wellness visit.

University of Michigan Health.Your yearly wellness visit.

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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