Annual Wellness Visit

Many health problems, including potentially life-threatening ones like cancer and heart disease, often develop without causing symptoms at first. Experienced internal medicine specialist E. Leon Thompson, DO, of Thompson Medical Group in Peoria, Arizona, offers comprehensive annual wellness visits to identify health problems early. Your annual wellness visit ensures a longer, healthier, and happier life, so arrange yours by calling Thompson Medical Group today. You can also book an in-person or telehealth appointment online.

What is an annual wellness visit?

Annual wellness visits are routine exams where your Thompson Medical Group provider checks your general health and looks for signs of disease. The exam includes a health indicator and vital signs review, where your provider measures your:

• Temperature
• Heart rate 
• Breathing rate
• Blood pressure
• Blood oxygen levels

They listen to your heart and lung sounds and examine your joints, abdomen, skin, eyes, ears, and throat. During the wellness exam, your provider looks for abnormalities like lumps or skin lesions. They also observe your balance and freedom of movement and identify signs of mental health problems or neurological conditions like dementia.

Other aspects of an annual wellness visit vary depending on which type of evaluation you undergo.

What are the different kinds of annual wellness visits?

Thompson Medical Group offers several kinds of annual wellness visits, including:

Annual physicals

An annual physical is a thorough health assessment that includes blood tests and screening for conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes, and some cancers.

Medicare annual wellness visits

You’re entitled to a free annual wellness visit if you have Medicare. These are preventive medicine consultations that help older people to stay healthy. You have a thorough physical at your first Medicare annual wellness visit (called the Welcome to Medicare exam) and then a yearly checkup.

Medicare annual wellness visits don’t include tests or treatment. Instead, your provider recommends actions to improve your health and reduce your risk of conditions like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Well-woman and well-man exams

Well-woman exams are like annual physicals but focus on a woman’s reproductive system. It includes a breast exam, pelvic exam, and, if you’re due for one, a Pap smear to screen for cervical cancer. Thompson Medical Group offers well-man exams, too, focusing on the male reproductive system.

What benefits do annual wellness visits offer?

Annual wellness visits are a cornerstone of preventive medicine, helping you avoid preventable illnesses.

Potentially life-threatening conditions ranging from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and certain cancers affect millions yearly. Undergoing an annual wellness exam enables your doctor to identify these conditions earlier when they’re far more treatable.

You can also benefit from expert advice and support when making healthier lifestyle choices, such as losing weight or quitting smoking.

To arrange your annual wellness visit, call Thompson Medical Group or book an appointment online today.