Doctors are urging everyone to make sure they get an annual wellness exam. Dr. Robert Jackson, chairman of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, tells us he’s seen many positive changes since Medicare began covering the exams in 2011. He says it’s important to remember that regardless of age, medicine has limited benefits. What he says really helps is getting patients to make long-term lifestyle changes.
“Getting people, say, to exercise 30 minutes a day, to quit smoking, to choose better foods, maybe lose weight. Those things that patients can do – they might need a little push – probably can have as much or more impact as the things the doctors do for them.”
Jackson adds family physicians, who are trained to see patients of all ages and a wide range of conditions, can provide continuity and a better understanding of your medical history, and even can treat multiple generations of the same family.
