Why You Should Never Skip Your Annual Wellness Exam

Annual wellness exams are essential for the entire family. Seeing your doctor for a wellness checkup helps you correct unhealthy habits, enables you to manage chronic conditions better, and puts you on the path to a healthier and longer life.

New York Health offers annual wellness exams and preventive and primary care services. “Our wellness exams are specific to the age group, gender, and underlying conditions,” said Dr. Michael J. DiGiovanna, a family practice physician. “For instance, if you have diabetes, we need to check your eyes once a year.”

During your wellness exam, your doctor may detect changes indicative of an underlying health condition or potential chronic illness in its early stages. Wellness exams are a benefit under insurance coverage and include routine examinations, screenings, education, counseling, and referral for other preventive services. In addition, skipping the annual wellness visit prevents your doctor from having a complete picture of your health history.

A common misconception is that primary care doctors know a lot of subjects but very little about each topic, and in fact, that's not the truth. It's quite the opposite of that. The statistics show that approximately 92-93% of type two diabetic patients are taken care of by their primary care physician. Only about 7-8% of people with diabetes are cared for by endocrinology. 

Primary care physicians can coordinate your care by referring a specialist or asking you to take additional tests. Many patients will jump from specialist to specialist but not have a primary care physician monitoring and coordinating care. Primary care physicians can be the repository of all medical care. 

“Primary care physicians are like the quarterback of the health care team,” Dr. DiGiovanna said. “We’re the one that calls the plays to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.” 

To make an appointment with Dr.DiGiovanna, call (631) 758-7003.