Annual Wellness Exam - HealthyU Clinics

Proactive Care Starts With Prevention

A healthy year doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by making small, intentional decisions about your health — like scheduling an annual wellness exam with a healthcare provider before problems become more serious and more expensive to treat.

What Is an Annual Wellness Exam?

An annual wellness exam is a preventive visit focused on helping you understand your current health. During this visit, the doctor looks at the big picture — your lifestyle, medical history, medications, family medical history, and risk factors — so you and your provider can build a plan for staying well.

Annual wellness exams are essential, even if you don’t seem to have any obvious health concerns.

This visit usually includes a health risk assessment and a personalized prevention plan, which may cover things like:

Recommended screenings (based on age and risk)
Immunizations you may be due for
Nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and behavioral health guidance
Fall risk or safety issues at home
Memory and cognitive screening when appropriate

What to Know Before Your Annual Wellness Exam

Important note: A wellness exam is not a diagnostic physical

A wellness exam is not designed to diagnose or treat new symptoms during the same appointment. If you come in with a new concern (like pain, dizziness, or a sudden change in your health), your provider may recommend a separate visit or address it, but that can affect billing and coverage depending on your plan.

The goal of a wellness visit is simple: give you a clear, realistic health plan for the year ahead and help you stay consistent with preventive care.

If you want to learn more about establishing care with a primary care provider, you can start here: HealthyU Primary Care.

Why Schedule Your Annual Wellness Exam

When life gets busy, annual checkups are easy to put off. But a wellness visit is one of the simplest ways to stay ahead of issues that can build silently over time. Many chronic conditions don’t cause noticeable symptoms at first, which is why prevention-based care matters.

A yearly wellness exam helps you take control of your health with a plan that fits your age, your medical history, and your goals.

Early Detection & Prevention

Prevention works best when it starts early. An annual wellness exam gives your provider the chance to identify risk factors before they become serious.

Here are a few examples of what early detection can help catch:

High blood pressure, which often has no symptoms, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke
Prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes, especially when screening is paired with lifestyle planning
High cholesterol, which may require diet changes, medication, or closer monitoring
Fall risks, especially in older adults
Memory or cognitive concerns, when screening is appropriate

Even if you feel fine, wellness checkups help make sure you stay on track because chronic conditions aren’t rare. The CDC reports that 90% of U.S. healthcare spending is associated with people who have chronic and mental health conditions. And a recent study showed that 80% of chronic conditions can be prevented through early intervention.

Personalized Prevention & Health Planning

A major benefit of an annual wellness visit is the personalized plan you’ll walk away with. Instead of guessing what you “should” be doing, you’ll have clear recommendations based on your health profile.

During this part of the visit, you can expect support with:

Setting realistic health goals that match your current lifestyle
Reviewing your current medications and supplements
Identifying preventive screenings that make sense for you
Discussing diet, movement, sleep, and stress habits
Addressing safety and fall prevention (especially for adults over 65)
Creating a plan for follow-ups, referrals, or future screenings

Choosing a team that understands your health background makes it much easier to build better habits over time. HealthyU Providers are dedicated to fostering positive relationships with their patients and creating intentional health care plans.

What to Expect During Your Visit

If you are coming in for your first annual wellness exam, it’s normal to feel unsure about what will happen. This visit is designed to be straightforward, conversational, and focused on prevention — not rushed or overwhelming.

Here’s what typically happens during an annual wellness visit:

1. Health Risk Assessment
You’ll review your current health status, lifestyle habits, and any risk factors that could affect your long-term health. This may include questions about activity level, nutrition, sleep, stress, tobacco or alcohol use, and family medical history.
2. Medical History Review
Your provider will go over past diagnoses, surgeries, hospitalizations, and any ongoing conditions. This helps ensure nothing important is missed and allows your care plan to reflect your whole health picture.
3. Medication and Provider Review
You’ll review all current medications, supplements, and vitamins, as well as any specialists you see. This helps reduce medication interactions and improves care coordination.
4. Vital Signs and Basic Measurements
Height, weight, blood pressure, and other basic vitals are usually recorded to help track trends over time.
5. Cognitive, Fall Risk, or Safety Screening (If Needed)
For some patients — especially adults over 65 — the visit may include brief memory screening, fall risk assessment, or home safety discussions.
6. Personalized Prevention Plan
You and your provider will review recommended screenings, immunizations, and preventive steps for the year ahead. This is where you leave with clear next steps instead of guesswork.

Annual Wellness Exam vs Annual Physical

Although these visits sound similar, an annual wellness exam and an annual physical serve different purposes — and they may be billed differently depending on your insurance.

The biggest difference comes down to prevention versus diagnosis.

Feature	Annual Wellness Exam	Annual Physical
Primary Focus	Prevention and health planning	Diagnosing and evaluating health concerns
Medicare Coverage	Often covered when eligible	Typically not covered
Includes Health Risk Assessment	Yes	Sometimes
Diagnoses New Symptoms	No	Yes
Lab Work	Not automatic	Often included or ordered
Billing	Preventative	Diagnostic

If you’re unsure which visit is right for you, our care team can help guide that decision based on your goals and your coverage. Understanding the difference helps you avoid unexpected costs and ensures you schedule the visit that best matches your needs.

A note about lab work

In many cases, lab work is not automatically included in an annual wellness exam. If labs are recommended, they may be scheduled separately or ordered based on your medical history, risk factors, or insurance coverage.

If you have symptoms or concerns you want evaluated, your provider may recommend a separate visit so those issues can be addressed properly.

If you’re new to care or looking to establish ongoing support, this visit is often a great starting point for building a long-term relationship with a primary care team.

Who Should Get an Annual Wellness Exam

Annual wellness exams are recommended for all adults, especially those over 65—even if you feel healthy and don’t have ongoing medical concerns.

This visit is especially valuable for:

Adults who want to focus on prevention instead of treatment
Individuals managing chronic conditions who want better long-term planning
Adults age 65 and older who qualify for Medicare Annual Wellness Visits
People who haven’t seen a provider in a while and want a reset
Anyone building a consistent yearly health routine

The goal is not judgment or perfection. Wellness visits are about meeting you where you are and helping you move forward with realistic, supportive guidance.

If you’re ready to take that step, location and access matter. You can reach out to our team directly based on where you’re located:

Insurance & Coverage

One of the most common questions patients ask is: “Is an annual wellness exam covered by insurance?” In many cases, yes, especially if you qualify for a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit or your private insurance plan includes preventive benefits.

Medicare Part B covers a yearly Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) for eligible patients. Many people pay nothing out of pocket for the wellness visit when they meet the coverage rules, including:

You’ve had Medicare Part B for at least 12 months
It has been at least 12 months since your last wellness visit (or “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit)

We understand that navigating Medicare can be complicated, so HealthyU Clinics partners with licensed Medicare Health Plan Advisors to help you find the perfect Medicare Advantage plan for your specific needs.

Medicare Coverage

Many private insurance plans cover preventive visits, but what’s included can vary. Some plans may cover:

A wellness visit each year
Age-based preventive screenings
Immunizations
Certain risk assessments

HealthyU Clinics accepts most major insurance plans to make affordable care accessible to all.

Private Insurance Coverage

Ready to Schedule Your Yearly Wellness Exam?

Your health is one of the few things in life that gets harder to rebuild the longer you wait. A yearly wellness exam gives you a simple way to check in, update your prevention plan, and stay ahead of the conditions that often develop quietly over time.

Whether you’re looking to schedule an annual wellness visit near you, you’re new to primary care, or you just want a consistent routine you can trust, we’re here to make the process easy.

Most visits take about 30–60 minutes, depending on your needs and the screenings involved. If you feel nervous, that’s normal. Your provider will take things one step at a time, answer questions, and make sure you leave with a clear plan you can follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I prepare for my visit?

The best way to prepare is to come with a clear picture of your current health. Before your appointment, gather a few key details so you don’t feel rushed:

Bring a list of medications, supplements, and vitamins you take (or bring the bottles).
Write down any specialists you see and what they manage (cardiology, endocrinology, etc.).
Think about your health goals for the year regarding sleep, weight, stress, activity, blood pressure, blood sugar, or anything else you want support with.
Bring your insurance card and a photo ID.

It can also help to think through your family history, including major conditions that family members have had, like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or cancer. The more complete the picture, the more personalized your prevention plan will be.

What is not included in a wellness exam?

A wellness exam focuses on prevention planning and risk assessment. It typically does not include:

Diagnostic evaluation of new symptoms (like new pain, dizziness, fatigue, or swelling)
Treatment plans for active medical issues
A comprehensive head-to-toe physical exam (like a traditional annual physical)
Automatic lab work (labs may be ordered separately if recommended)

If you need care for a specific concern, your provider may recommend a separate appointment or may address it during the same visit, depending on the situation. That’s important because it can change how the visit is billed and what your insurance covers.

How often should I get one?

Most adults should schedule a wellness visit once per year. If you have Medicare, the annual wellness visit is generally covered once every 12 months when you meet eligibility guidelines. Private insurance plans may also cover annual preventive visits, but the details can vary by plan.

If you have ongoing conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, your provider may recommend additional follow-up visits during the year. The wellness exam is still a great baseline appointment.

Is an annual wellness exam covered by insurance?

In many cases, yes. Medicare Part B covers a yearly wellness visit for eligible patients. Many people pay nothing out of pocket when they meet the requirements, but coverage rules apply.

Private insurance plans often cover preventive care, but not all plans cover the same services. Some plans cover preventive visits only when you stay in-network, and some may require a copay if the visit includes problem-focused care.

What not to do before a wellness check?

Before your annual exam, you don’t need to fast or change your routine unless your provider specifically tells you to. But a few simple choices can help your appointment go smoothly:

Don’t wait until the visit to remember your medications — bring a list.
Don’t downplay concerns. Even though the visit is preventive, your provider can help guide you on the next steps.
Don’t assume labs are included. If you want lab work, ask what’s recommended and how to order it.
Don’t skip mentioning mental health, sleep, or stress. These factors affect your overall health just as much as physical conditions.
Don’t worry about being “perfect.” This appointment is about prevention and progress, not judgment.

If you’re due for a wellness visit and you’ve been putting it off, now is a great time to schedule. A small step today can make a big difference in the long run.