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Preventive Care Visits

A preventive care visit is the appointment where nothing is wrong yet. It is a routine physical examination, immunizations and the screening tests recommended for your age, sex and family history — and the one visit each year with enough room to look at the whole picture rather than a single complaint.

What a preventive visit covers

A preventive care visit — most people call it their physical — includes a routine examination, a review of your history and medications, immunizations where they are due, and the preventive services defined under the Affordable Care Act. Depending on your age and risk, that may include blood screening, cardiac risk assessment, and counseling about which cancer screenings apply to you.

Preventive care for the whole family

The practice covers newborn visits and childhood checkups, school, work and sports physicals, adult physicals through the year, and continuing care into later life. Physicals for school and sport are worth booking well ahead — summer is the busiest time of year for them.

Preventive versus diagnostic: why some visits cost more

This catches people out, so it is worth stating plainly. Many health plans cover preventive services with no copay. If, during that same visit, you raise a new symptom or an existing condition needs managing, that part of the visit is diagnostic, and a copay usually applies. The preventive test can be fully covered while the office visit itself is not.

Check the details with your plan before you come, and ask our office if you are unsure how a visit is likely to be billed.

Treating the whole person

Treating the whole person is a core value here, and it does not switch off during a physical. If something turns up, Dr. Gisi will look into it properly rather than tell you to book again — which is the right thing to do medically, even though it can mean a copay applies. Knowing that in advance tends to be less annoying than finding out afterwards.

What to expect at your visit

  • Bring your insurance card and photo ID; new patients should arrive 30 minutes early for registration forms
  • Bring all current medications and supplements in their original containers
  • Expect a review of history, examination, and immunizations if due
  • Blood work or screening may be ordered, sometimes before or after the visit rather than during it
  • You will leave knowing what is due next and roughly when

Common questions

Will I have to pay a copay for my annual physical?
A preventive care visit is usually covered without a copay under many health plans. If other health issues are discussed or treated during the same appointment, that portion is considered diagnostic and a copay may apply. Coverage varies by plan, so check with your insurer.
How far in advance should I book a physical?
Routine physicals are best booked well ahead — ideally at the end of your previous visit. School, camp and sports physicals should be scheduled several months in advance, because demand peaks over the summer.
What should I bring to a preventive visit?
Photo ID, your insurance card, and every medication and supplement you take, in the original containers so dosages can be verified. If the patient is a minor, bring the child's and the parent's Social Security numbers for registration.
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