Should annual physicals actually be annual?
February 26, 2013 in Health Insurance, Medical Care, Member Stories
I’ve been going to my childhood doctor every year for as long as I can remember. She’s helped me through the chicken pox, flu shots, ear infections, and the perils of puberty. But as my mom pointed out a couple of weeks ago, I’m now in my twenties, which is too old to still be going to a pediatrician. The nostalgia in me wants to scream, “No, you can’t make me go to a new doctor,” but the logic in me says, “I guess it’s time I go to a doctor’s office where the waiting room isn’t filled with Legos.”
My healthcare conscience mother and me.
But how urgent is it for me to find a new doctor for my annual physical? Here are the facts: I’m a 22-year-old female, I haven’t had a physical in almost 14 months, and I don’t believe that I have a serious illness that has surfaced since my last visit. Can’t I just skip a year and wait until I’ve found a new doctor that I like?
While my mom might say no, my pediatrician says yes. Dr. Marilyn Lange, a doctor in Los Angeles and a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, says that a woman of my age can get away with only having a physical every three to four years unless she has a medical problem. “There are definitely reasons to do it,” says Dr. Lange, “but if you want to skip a year, that’s fine.”
An article published by Duke Medicine supports Dr. Lange’s claim and says that how often you get a physical depends on your age and disease risk factors. Assuming you are healthy, the article suggests you get a physical every two to three years if you’re under 30, every one to two years if you’re between 30 and 40, and every year if you’re over 50.
Additionally, a Danish study released in 2012 found Read the rest of this entry →
