Checking in on Checkups?

Did you know: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), if everyone in the United States received recommended clinical preventive care our country can save over 100,000 lives each year?

For three decades, the US Preventive Services Task Force has been an independent panel of experts providing guidance about the preventive services that can help you diagnose and prevent health problems early enough to have the best possible outcomes for your patients. Depending on a patient’s age and risk factors, the recommended services may include screening tests, well visits, certain types of health counseling, immunizations, and more.

Health screenings can also uncover problems that are easily treated when caught early. Here are a few examples:

• Screenings for alcohol, tobacco, and depression can result in referrals for additional treatments and counselling
• Age related screenings for conditions like colorectal and prostate cancers, osteoporosis for adult patients, and lead, hearing, and vision screenings for children
• Pregnancy related preventive services such as folic acid supplements, gestational diabetes screenings to ensure safe and healthy pregnancies

These services can improve a patient’s quality of life and can help you detect latent issues that might surface later. In addition, these services will help your practice meet some quality benchmarks. For most patients, these services are covered in full, with no cost sharing, but it is important to check their benefits package as some limitations apply. For example, NHP publishes a list of covered preventive services for members to reference and discuss with their providers. You can see that list here.