What are preventive services?

What are preventive services?

  • Understanding prevention
  • Preventive services are the identification, prioritization, and provision of appropriate screenings, counseling, and medication services to prevent illness or the worsening of disease, and reduce healthcare costs.

What is a health screening?

  • A health screening is a test that doctors perform to check for diseases or conditions before there are any symptoms. They can help you to identify any future health risks and the steps you can take to minimize them. Some examples of health screenings are blood pressure checks, annual blood draws, mammograms, and colonoscopies.
  • Click “play to learn more about health screenings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMsxpptr59A)

What preventive screenings and services do I need and when?

Immunizations

There are various recommended vaccinations recommended for both children and adults. Protection from some childhood vaccinations may wear off over time, or you may be at risk for communicable diseases due to various factors, including your age, job, lifestyle, travel, and health conditions. Check out this recommended adult vaccination schedule.

Screenings

Health screenings and annual wellness check-ups are important for people of all ages, but some tests and screenings are recommended for both men and women at certain ages.

Your primary care physician can help decide what preventive services are right for you. You can take advantage of some of these services during your annual checkup, including immunizations, blood draws, and blood pressure screenings.

  • For the more complex screenings, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, your primary care provider can order tests to be done at an outpatient clinic or hospital, usually at no cost.