Preventative Health

Annual Wellness Visit

An annual wellness visit is an appointment occurring yearly with a primary care physician to develop a preventative health plan. This plan is designed to help prevent disease based on age, medical history, and personal risk factors. Services may include conducting a health risk assessment, updating medical and family history, reviewing the most recent list of current medications, screening for memory and understanding concerns, providing health advice, and referring to preventative counseling services. During a wellness exam, patients may also receive screening for high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, and osteoporosis. A primary care physician may also ask about current stress level, physical activity, diet, or use of substances such as tobacco and alcohol.

Vaccines

Vaccines can prevent certain serious or deadly infections. They work by teaching the body how to fight the germs that cause infections. There are some vaccines that all adults should get, even if they have received their childhood vaccines. These vaccines protect against the following infections:

• Influenza (flu) – Influenza is an acute respiratory illness caused by influenza A or B viruses. It can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, and sore throat. It can even cause a lung infection. Annual influenza vaccination is an important public health measure for preventing influenza infection. With rare exception, all adults should get an influenza (flu) vaccine annually in the fall. 

• Pertussis/Diphtheria and tetanus (TdAP) – Diphtheria can cause a thick covering in the back of the throat that can lead to breathing problems. This infection is also known as whooping cough, and it can cause a severe breathing illness. Tetanus causes the muscles to work abnormally. Vaccinating adults helps prevent babies around them from getting the infection. Vaccines against these diseases are usually given together in one shot.

Some adults will need other vaccines, depending on their age and medical conditions. These can include vaccines to protect against:

• Pneumococcus (pneumonia) – Pneumococcus is a germ that can cause an infection of the lungs, ears, blood, or tissues around the brain. Two vaccines that help prevent pneumococcal disease:
  • PCV13 (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) indicated for:
    • All adults age 65 or older.
    • Adults age 19 or older with certain health conditions, including chronic kidney failure, leukemia, and lymphoma.

• PPSV23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) indicated for:
  • All adults age 65 or older.
  • Adults age 19 through 64 who smoke cigarettes or have certain health conditions, including diabetes, chronic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and chronic liver disease.

The pneumococcus vaccines also offer protection against illnesses like meningitis and bacteremia.

• Meningococcus (meningitis) – Meningococcus is a germ that can cause an infection of the blood or tissues around the brain. Routine vaccination is recommended for all preteens and teens. Adults living on a college campus or in army barracks are at increased risk for meningitis, as are adults without a spleen. Adults without a spleen should receive two doses separated by eight weeks, then a booster dose every five years.

• Herpes zoster (shingles) – Herpes zoster is a painful rash that can occur without warning. The vaccine is recommended for individuals age 50 and older to reduce the risk of developing herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia. It is not necessary to determine whether a person has a history of varicella (chickenpox) or herpes zoster prior to vaccination because waning antibodies in previously exposed individuals (particularly older adults) may lead to negative results despite past infection.

• Hepatitis A— Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Certain groups of people are at higher risk, including those with direct contact with someone who has hepatitis A or travelers to endemic areas. The vaccine is given as two shots, six months apart, and both doses are needed for long-term protection.

• Hepatitis B— Hepatitis B liver infection can cause a wide spectrum of disease, from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Acute infections may be mild or may be severe enough to require hospitalization. Chronic hepatitis B is a lifelong infection with the hepatitis B virus. The vaccine is recommended for people at risk for infection by sexual exposure or exposure to blood. It is given as a two or three dose series, depending on the age of the recipient. In general, the hepatitis B vaccine series is required only once in a lifetime. There is also a combination vaccine approved for adults that protects people from both hepatitis A and hepatitis B, which is usually given in three doses over a six-month period.

• COVID-19 — We recommend patients receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This can be discussed with a primary care physician.