Wellness and Preventative Care in Birmingham, AL
Preventative and wellness care are important aspects of health management and can make a big difference in one’s overall well-being.
Preventive care refers to care provided to help prevent a disease or identify health issues before they become serious problems. This includes vaccinations and routine cancer screenings. On the other hand, wellness care is designed to treat a current health condition such as obtaining an antibiotic for a urinary tract infection.
By definition, these are different aspects of the overall health plan but in practice, they work together to help prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and complications and improve overall health outcomes. This can lead to an improved quality of life and reduced healthcare costs.
As a leader in healthcare, Complete Health is dedicated to providing its patients with an active partnership throughout their healthcare journey.
Preventative Care
Preventive healthcare services prevent and manage chronic health conditions through the use of screening tests and labs, preventative treatments and vaccines, and patient behaviors and dietary modifications.
Preventative check-ups are one of the most beneficial steps you can take to better your health. Whether during a Medicare wellness exam or telehealth visit, obtaining preventive care can provide the following benefits.
- Early Detection. Identifying medical conditions early can result in more effective treatment, lower costs, and improved outcomes.
- Reduce risks of disease. Regular check-ups can help target problems early and prevent the development of diseases and their complications.
- Increased longevity. Early detection leads to longer, healthier lifestyles.
- Lowers healthcare costs. Preventative healthcare services can reduce the need for hospitalizations and expensive treatments providing significant healthcare savings.
- More time enjoying what you love. Improving disease management can reduce the number of doctor visits giving you more time to enjoy life.
Annual Exams at Complete Health
The annual physical is an opportunity for patients to obtain a comprehensive exam to ensure their medical conditions are managed appropriately. This is accomplished by completing the following aspects of the annual exam.
- Health History Review. Discussion of all current medical conditions, medications, and management strategies.
- Vital Signs. Review of current blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and other vital signs including weight and BMI.
- Physical Exam. Head-to-toe evaluation using a standard medical exam.
- Health Goals Discussion. Identifying and addressing your health goals and concerns.
- Medication Review. Ensuring the safety and effectiveness of your medications.
- Preventive Care Plan. Creating a personalized plan for screenings and preventive services.
- Health Education. Provide educational resources and materials geared at maintaining and improving your health.
For those with one or two medical issues, the yearly exam frequency is often sufficient. However, for those with complicated medical histories, our primary care physicians will typically evaluate various aspects of your care throughout the year to ensure optimal health results.
Annual Medicare Wellness Visits
The Medicare wellness exam is often confused with the yearly physical but is a fundamentally different visit. The Medicare wellness exam was developed for patients receiving health coverage through the government program to encourage the early diagnosis and prevention of diseases.
The visit serves as an opportunity for your physician to address health maintenance and preventive care. The big things addressed during these exams are cancer screenings, screenings for high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, and immunizations.
These visits can be scheduled once every 365 days and are an essential part of our senior healthcare services.
Comprehensive Primary Care Services
As we age into adulthood the potential for developing medical conditions and complicated infections increases, making it important to begin screenings for chronic health conditions; vaccinations for flu, COVID-19, and pneumonia; and counseling measures to promote healthy lifestyles. Depending on age and family history, your primary care physician will recommend certain screening tests and counseling measures. These can include:
- Cancer screenings such as mammograms, pap smears, prostate exams, and colonoscopies are recommended to identify cancers early in their development.
- Laboratory tests to screen for conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and vitamin deficiencies.
- Questionnaires and counseling to identify patients who need additional services for better management of various health conditions.
- Vaccinations are used to prevent the development of illnesses or minimize complications once contracted.
Children on the other hand benefit from early treatment and interventions that prevent serious illnesses.
The most common screening and preventative measures in children include:
- Immunizations. Polio, measles, mumps, and rubella are just a few serious illnesses that have been drastically reduced through modern vaccination schedules.
- Wellness exams. Growth charts and developmental milestones are used to identify childhood conditions that can affect normal development.
- Screening tests. Assessments are administered to identify children suffering from depression, autism, and other developmental conditions.
- Blood tests. Screening for lead poisoning, vitamin deficiencies, and anemias can ensure the proper development of a child.
Empowering Through Education
Complete Health focuses on empowering patients to take an active role in managing their health-related conditions. Our primary care practitioners focus on providing educational resources and materials to help each patient better understand their medical conditions and improve outcomes.
Our clinics provide educational instructions on preventative measures patients can take to help ensure a healthier lifestyle and make health-conscious choices. The overall goal of providing these educational materials and resources is to help patients make informed decisions regarding their health.
In addition, understanding medical conditions and the factors affecting these conditions can help patients make daily changes that can significantly impact their diseases. Understanding the management strategies can help improve compliance resulting in improved health outcomes.
Schedule a Preventative Care Appointment
Preventative care is essential in the early detection and treatment of chronic diseases and is the single most effective healthcare measure one can take to improve their health. For this reason, Complete Health practitioners place a great deal of effort into ensuring all patients receive appropriate preventative care. This allows our patients to live healthier, longer lives and reduce healthcare spending.
Take the first step toward a proactive healthcare strategy, schedule an appointment to discuss preventative care today!
- Call our Complete Health Greystone office at 205-995-9909 or our Simon-Williamson office at 205-206-8200 to schedule a consultation.
- Use your patient portal to schedule a consultation.