Preventive Visits vs. Problem Visits

Pre­ven­tive (well) vis­its and prob­lem (sick) vis­its each play an impor­tant role in help­ing you stay healthy. Annu­al pre­ven­tive vis­its give you and your provider a chance to check in on your over­all health, track changes over time, and stay ahead of poten­tial con­cerns. Prob­lem vis­its are there for when some­thing doesn’t feel right, help­ing diag­nose and treat symp­toms so you can get back to feel­ing your best.

If you dis­cuss new symp­toms or con­cerns or review exist­ing con­di­tions dur­ing your annu­al pre­ven­tive vis­it, it may be treat­ed as a sep­a­rate prob­lem vis­it. Because these are dif­fer­ent types of care, an addi­tion­al office vis­it and diag­no­sis may be billed to you or your insur­ance in accor­dance with the Nation­al Billing Guide­lines. Your care team is always here to help you under­stand your vis­it and any asso­ci­at­ed costs.

Pre­ven­tive Visits

Pre­ven­tive vis­its, also called well vis­its or year­ly phys­i­cals, are a proac­tive way to ensure that you main­tain a reg­u­lar focus on ways to keep your mind and body healthy. When you sched­ule this vis­it with your provider, you will dis­cuss the following: 

  • The cur­rent state of your health 
  • Your med­ical and fam­i­ly history 
  • Vital signs (weight and blood pressure) 
  • Age-appro­pri­ate screen­ing assess­ments and immunizations 
  • Poten­tial risk factors 
  • Med­ica­tion use 
  • Health goals you have for the future 

Your provider may offer per­son­al­ized health guid­ance and refer­rals for ser­vices like health edu­ca­tion and coun­sel­ing to sup­port your over­all well­be­ing. Pre­ven­tive care vis­its are an impor­tant part of stay­ing healthy, giv­ing you and your care team a clear­er pic­ture of your cur­rent health and help­ing iden­ti­fy ways to sup­port your health now and in the future.

Prob­lem Visits

Prob­lem, or sick, vis­its focus on the symp­toms, ill­ness, or health con­cerns you are expe­ri­enc­ing right now. Unlike pre­ven­tive vis­its, which are cen­tered on pre­ven­tive care and your over­all health, prob­lem vis­its are designed to eval­u­ate spe­cif­ic con­cerns and help you get the care and treat­ment you need. Dur­ing your prob­lem vis­it, you and your provider may discuss:

  • New symp­toms, con­cerns, or ail­ments that require diag­no­sis or treatment 
  • Fol­low-up or ques­tions regard­ing exist­ing chron­ic conditions 
  • A change or adjust­ment of medications 
  • Order place­ment for oth­er tests, labs, or spe­cial­ty consultations 

Your provider will eval­u­ate your symp­toms and health con­cerns to help deter­mine the right care plan for you. Get­ting care when symp­toms arise can lead to ear­li­er diag­no­sis and treat­ment, help­ing you feel bet­ter soon­er and sup­port­ing your over­all health and wellbeing.

Have addi­tion­al questions? 

Please reach out to us by call­ing (630) 942‑7998. We can help you deter­mine which visit(s) should be sched­uled and can also address any ques­tions or con­cerns you may have.