What is the importance of annual doctor visit?

most people don’t know that the @annual checkup” was a concept pushed by the AMA years ago to generate income for doctors. It’s not an evidence-based recommendation. I wouldn’t worry about it. If they give you a hard time, maybe you can just defer and tell them you’re working on it. People in charge don’t like to be challenged on things like that, but I guarantee you it’s a knee jerk response that’s not been thought through.

no reason for an annual evaluation as they should be constantly evaluating her needs and meds. I would ask what is the purpose. Do they do it in the facility? Do they bill you?

An annual checkup is good for both men and women, especially when older. For women, breast and other types of cancer can be caught in the early stages, and for men, prostate cancer is curable if detected before it spreads outside of the prostate.

Thanks for this info, Victoria. I will print it out. I never had this type of medical visit.

Iris

jscott - when you refer to “our memory care unit”, is your DW a resident in a memory care facility? Or are you referring to a memory care clinic? Are they recommending an annual evaluation for her ALZ by a dementia specialist? Or are you talking about an annual check up at her PCP’s office?

My DH is not a resident in a MCF. Thes are the things we do:

My experience over the years with both medical drs and veterinary drs, is that when I do annual visits, in an urgent situation, they are more attentive. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way but that’s life.
For my DH, he sees his PCP every 6 mos. I find this is useful to discuss non-urgent issues and his progression. This way, when I use the portal for a question, that are up to date on his health issues. And having up to date health info in his chart makes it simpler if his PCP is unavailable and another practioner in the practice needs to address an issue. At his most recent visit, the PCP signed the form for a handicap plate, we got the DNR form signed as well as a discussion of his health issues and what a conservative approach means for those issues. I have to say, it’s harder being in charge of someone’s healthcare that is not a good historian than it is being in charge of one’s own health. And I find it helpful to give his PCP what limited info I can gather and try to sort out if there’s an issue.
The appts with the Neurology NP that works at the Alzheimer’s Institute are not super helpful right now. But there are times when things change quickly with DH’s dementia. And if my DH needs assistance/medications/ appt quickly, I will be able to get it more quickly if my DH is a patient that has been seen recently.

On the other hand, DH no longer sees many specialists on a regular basis. No annual visits to the cardiologist, or the pulmonologist or the urologist.

Should someone with dementia receive annual flu, Covid shots, etc and other preventative care such as mammograms and colonoscopies? I have been wondering about this since my DH’s primary doctor never mentions it in his summary of my DH’s annual visit. I do not go in with him so I don’t have a chance to ask his doctor. He is in the early stages and I don’t want to bring it up to him. What is anyone’s opinion?

I would only do the annual Medicare appt with your PCP. You do not want to be put in the new patient file.

While you have not been going in with him, it may be time to start. You can not rely on him giving the doctor accurate information or him telling you accurately what the doctor said. I have been going in with him since the start of this journey. DH just answers that everything is fine when the PCP asks him. I go in at the PCP, the cardiologist, and the urologist. At the dermatologist we had back to back appointments so he went first alone. If the derm hadn't told me that she froze several precancerous lessions, I would have never known. By the time my appointment was done, he had forgotten.