Preventive Care Visits: What You Need to Know

Preventive care visits are an important part of staying healthy. These visits are designed to help detect

health concerns early or prevent them altogether. While many preventive services are covered at no

cost, there are situations where additional services may result in charges. These would be Diagnostic Care.

What is Preventive Care?

Preventive care includes routine health services that are provided when you are feeling well and not

experiencing symptoms. The goal is to prevent illness or detect conditions early when they are easier to

treat. Examples include annual physical exams, wellness visits, immunizations, and recommended

screenings such as blood pressure checks or cholesterol tests.

Often other conditions are addressed at preventative visits in order to avoid a second, non-preventative visit. For the sake of convenience, we are happy to provide care in that way but sometimes it does lead to an additional cost.

When Care is Not Preventive

Some services are considered diagnostic, which means costs may apply:

• Tests to check or manage an ongoing condition (like diabetes)
• Follow-up tests after something abnormal is found
• When new symptoms are assessed or evaluated.
• These services are not preventive, even if they happen during your visit.

Preventive vs. Diagnostic Care

Preventive Care	Diagnostic (Non-Preventive) Care
Purpose: Prevent illness or detect early	Purpose: Diagnose or monitor a condition
You feel well, no symptoms	You have symptoms or a known condition
Routine exams, screenings, vaccines	Tests, imaging, or follow-up care
	Additional costs may apply (copay, deductible, coinsurance)

*This is standard practice and applies to most healthcare providers—not just our office.

Questions?

Contact your insurance plan to better understand your coverage before your visit.