Going to the doctor when you have an ailment is second nature. However, when we should be seeing our general physician is well before something comes up. Preventative health screenings are designed to proactively monitor your health with insights from a medical professional trained to notice things that you might not.
Preventative medicine includes annual wellness exams, cholesterol tests, routine vaccinations and other measures designed to prevent more serious health conditions. Here are a few reasons why you should take advantage of preventative health screenings.
Puts the Patient in Control
Taking a proactive approach automatically puts you in the driver’s seat when making important decisions regarding your personal health. If you only visit a doctor when you’re sick, the only thing left to do is treat your ailment. However, preventative screenings can help you make informed lifestyle decisions that positively impact your health. This level of engagement has been tied to better outcomes, so even if you are eventually diagnosed with a serious medical condition, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the physical and emotional recovery.
Preventative Care is Financially Friendly
Healthcare is expensive–for some, even cost prohibitive. As with most problems in life, a proactive approach is often the more frugal approach. At the very least, you’re less likely to be blindsided by major expenses.
Take a look at your insurance policy. Most preventative care services are covered 100% before the deductible, meaning that your wellness exam comes at no cost to you with appropriate medical insurance. If that exam can catch a problem early, preventing a more expensive surgery down the road, it’s a no-brainer for lifetime cost savings.
Facilitates Early Detection
Speaking of catching bigger problems early, preventative medicine is designed to keep you connected to vital healthcare services that facilitate early detection. A trained medical professional knows which questions to ask during a wellness exam based on the presence or absence of other factors like age, gender, and personal health history.
For some, frequent trips to the bathroom might feel normal while a doctor might recognize a pattern of symptoms that signal a health crisis in the making. Preventative care services help maintain a good doctor-patient relationship so that when care is needed, services are as effective as possible.
By taking your health seriously and staying one step ahead of potential issues, you will go a long way in not only obtaining better health outcomes, but better financial ones as well. Furthermore, taking the proactive approach can also go a long way in giving you peace of mind, which cannot be underestimated.
Dr. Peter Martinez-Noda is an experienced general practitioner, helping his patients live their best life with routine preventative care and effective treatments for many of the conditions that keep us from living our best lives.