Health care providers want to communicate with patients to find answers to health-related questions as quickly as possible and target care to unique personal situations. This process can reduce the number of follow-up appointments you need and result in you taking less time off from work. When you know your health conditions and risk factors, your provider can more promptly screen and treat you. Coming for a well visit or annual physical first helps you get to know your provider and they get to know you, so that it is easier to take care of you when you are feeling ill.
Preparing for a Primary Care Visit
You can do several things to get the most out of your visit with your family doctor, internal medicine doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant:
- Bring a list of all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, including vitamins and herbal supplements, along with the doses you take. If it is easier, you can bring the medications themselves. Please also bring a list of current physical and mental health conditions as well as your close relatives’ medical conditions, particularly those that tend to run in families, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes, genetic diseases and certain types of cancer.
- Bring a list of your previous immunizations (shot records), if possible.
- Bring your glasses if you are visually impaired or hearing aids if you are hearing impaired.
- Bring your health insurance card and a form of identification such as a driver’s license so your provider can apply charges to your health care coverage.
- Consider taking notes or bringing someone you trust to help you remember what the provider said.
- Do not be afraid to ask questions or ask your provider to repeat something you missed or did not understand.
- If English is not your first language and you need an interpreter, make sure to ask for one when scheduling your appointment.
- Know how much you smoke and/or drink and be transparent when your provider asks, as this may prompt screenings that could prevent long-term complications.
- Make a list of your concerns and prioritize them. That way, if you run out of time, you’ll get your most important questions addressed first.
- Remember not to eat or drink before laboratory studies if your provider requests that you fast.
- Report changes in your medical history, medications, family history, weight, sleep or other new issues since the last appointment.
What Happens at Primary Care Visits
At your first primary care visit, your provider will get to know you by asking questions about past or current medical conditions, any conditions that run in your family, and your history of preventive health screenings and vaccinations.
During the first and subsequent visits, your provider may conduct a comprehensive physical examination and:
- Discuss lifestyle habits
- Order blood tests and other health screenings, such as labs, colonoscopy, mammogram, low-dose CT for lung cancer screening, and others
- Recommend additional physical exams, such as breast exams, Pap smears and/or digital rectal exams
- Review your vaccination history
How to Prepare for a Specialist Visit
If your primary care provider refers you to a neurologist, gastroenterologist or other specialist, it is important to be prepared in the ways mentioned above. However, you also need to make sure your specialist has records from your referring provider. Bring a printed report of your related labs, imaging studies or other diagnostics to your appointment for your specialist to review.
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