Most of us would rather not go to the doctor. For central Ohio seniors who have been hospitalized and completed therapy at an inpatient rehab center, this may be especially true. Once you are finally back on your feet and feeling better, it can be easy to think that keeping your physician appointment really isn’t necessary.
Maintaining a relationship with your primary care physician, however, is the best way to prevent another illness or to intervene early when health problems do arise. Most importantly, it can help you avoid ending up back in the hospital.
Why Columbus Area Seniors Need to See the Doctor Regularly
Having a relationship with your physician when you are healthy, allows them to better care for you when you are sick. The physician is able to establish a baseline for your personal health and recognize when something isn’t right.
There are a variety of additional reasons to make and keep your routine physician visits. They include:
- Medication monitoring
- Health screenings such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol
- Vaccinations including flu, pneumonia and shingles
- Prostate screening
- Mammograms
- Bone mass measurements
- Assess the risk for depression
- Conduct a simple vision exam
- Evaluate body mass index and make recommendations for nutrition and exercise
The Medicare Wellness Visit
As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), seniors who receive Medicare are entitled to a yearly Wellness Visit at no cost or co-pay. If you have had Medicare for more than 12 months, you are eligible. The Medicare Part B deductible does not apply to the Medicare Wellness Visit.
Do you have further questions about how to get your senior to keep up with maintaining doctors visits? Give us a call at 614.345.9500 and we would be happy to talk!
