EXAMS
A visit to your child's health care provider includes a thorough
physical exam and questions about your child's health history.
Birth to 24 Months
- Well Baby Exam: Physical exams are completed at birth and
are recommended when your baby is between three to five
days old. Thereafter, exams are recommended at one, two,
four, six, nine, 12,15, 18 and 24 months.
3-17 Years
- Annual Physical Exam: Beginning at 36 months
HEALTH EDUCATION
During a visit to your child's doctor, information about what to expect at
each stage of a child's life (developmental milestones) will be provided,
including education on healthy habits specific to your child and family's needs.
Health care needs will change as your child continues to grow. Well child visits
allow you and your child's doctor to discuss health topics that are important to
your child's needs, such as:
Birth to 24 Months
- Anemia Prevention: Your child's doctor will discuss giving iron supplements
if your child is at risk for anemia. (Iron supplements are available over
the counter and are not covered by your pharmacy benefit.)
- Safe Sleeping Positions: Birth to 12 months
- Child Safety
- Developmental Milestones
- Dental Health/Referrals: By age three
- Healthy Weight and Nutrition
- Immunizations
- Injury and Violence Prevention
- Psychosocial Development
- Lead Poisoning: Birth to age 7 years
3-17 Years
- Anemia Prevention
- Physical Activity: Your child's doctor will want to ensure activity is
part of your child's daily routine
- Sleeping Patterns: Adolescents and pre-adolescents need at least eight
and a half to more than nine hours of sleep each night
- Child Safety
- Developmental Milestones
- Dental Health/Referrals: By age three
- Healthy Weight and Nutrition
- Immunizations
- Injury and Violence Prevention
- Psychosocial Development
- Lead Poisoning: Up to 7 years old
11-17 Years
In addition, your child's doctor will discuss the health risks for the following:
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse
- Depression
- Sexual Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Infectionst
- Tobacco Use/Avoidancey
HEALTH SCREENINGS
In addition to health education and a physical exam, your child's doctor
will want to ensure your child is getting the right preventive health
screenings for his or her particular health needs. Your child's doctor
will typically advise that these screenings be completed before, during
or soon after your child's visit:
Birth to 24 Months
- Anemia screening: At risk infants
- Hypothyroidism: All newborns
- Dental caries: Between six to 12 months, when the first tooth comes in,
then again at 18 and 24 months
- Hearing: At birth and at each visit
- Phenylketonuria: At birth, to check for an enzyme important for growth
- Weight, Length and Head Circumference: Birth up to 36 months
- Sickle Cell Disease: At birth
- Lead Poisoning: Up to age seven
- Visual Impairment Testing: Under five years
- Obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI): Beginning at age two years
- Tuberculosis (TB) Skin Test: As recommended by your child's doctor
3-17 Years
- Visual Impairment: Annually-under five years
- Height and Weight: At each well child visit
- Cholesterol: As recommended by your child's doctor
- Blood Pressure: Annually for children over three years of age
- Obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Tuberculosis (TB) Skin Test: As recommended by your child's doctor
11-17 Years
In addition, your child's doctor will screen for the following:
- Chlamydia: Sexually active females who are at risk, pregnant females
and others who are also at risk
- Depression
- Developmental/Behavioral Assessments
- HIV: All adolescents at increased risk for infection and all pregnant females
- Syphilis: All adolescents at increased risk for infection and all pregnant
females
EXAMS
In addition to a physical examination, your doctor may ask you questions that cover
your personal and family health history. The frequency of visits depends on your
personal health history and recommended health screenings.
18-49 Years Years
- Health Maintenance Visit: Every 1-2 years
- Women Well Visit: Recommended annually
50-65+ Years
- Health Maintenance Exam: Annually
- Women Well Visit: Annually
HEALTH EDUCATION
During each visit, your doctor may discuss certain health topics based on age, gender
and individual health care needs. Your doctor may want to discuss the following:
18-65+ Years
- Aspirin Therapy:
- Men beginning at age 45
- Women beginning at age 55
- Alcohol and Substance Use
- Healthy Weight
- Healthy Diet
- Immunizations
- Injury and Violence Prevention
- Mental Health
- Physical Activity
- Sexual Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Tobacco/Substance Use and Avoidance
Women
- Chemoprevention for breast cancer: Women at high-risk
- Self-breast Exams: Beginning at age 20+
Pregnant women or women considering pregnancy
- Breast Feeding
- Folic Acid
- Tobacco/Substance Use and Avoidance
- Alcohol Use and Avoidance
HEALTH SCREENINGS
In addition to health education and a physical exam, your doctor will include
discussions about certain health screenings based on age, gender and individual health
history. Your doctor will typically have you complete these screenings before, during
or soon after your visit:
18-65+ Years
- Blood Pressure
- Cholesterol: Beginning at age 20 at increased risk for heart disease
- Colorectal Cancer:
- Ages 40-49 yearly fecal occult blood testing
- Ages 50+ fecal occult blood testing sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or
colonoscopy every 10 years
Note: Procedures to treat any abnormal findings will require a copayment, even if
performed at the same time as the screening
- Depression
- Height and Weight
- Obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Syphilis
- HIV
- Tuberculosis (TB) Skin test: Ages under 21
Men
- Cholesterol
- Prostate Cancer: Beginning at 45
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: One time screening in men ages 65 to 75 who have ever
smoked
Women
- Cervical Cancer: Yearly, beginning within three years of sexual activity or age 21
(whichever comes first) up to age 65, every two to three years for women ages 30+
with three normal Pap tests in a row and no history of cervical cancer
- Cholesterol
- Gonorrhea
- Clinical Breast Exam: 20s-30s every 2-3 years by a physician
- Mammograms**: Annually or as recommended by your doctor
- Genetic Risk Assessment: For those whose family history is associated with an
increased risk for breast or ovarian cancer
- Intimate Partner Violence: Childbearing age group
- Osteoporosis: Beginning at age 65+ and women under 65 who are at risk for fractures
Pregnant Women
- Anemia: Routine screening on pregnant women not showing symptoms
- Asymptomatic Bacteriuria: At 12 to 16 weeks gestation or at first prenatal visit, if
later
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- HepB
- HIV
- RH (D) Incompatibility
** Complete your mammogram and Western Health Advantage will enter your name for a $100
drawing. Simply complete the
online form.
To qualify, the exam must have been performed by a WHA provider within the past year and
you must have been an active member at the time of the service. Limited to one submission
per year.
Immunizations: Children, as well as adults need to be immunized against communicable diseases.
For adults, your doctor will want to discuss flu and other vaccines depending on your personal
health history. Visit
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html or
mywha.org/shots for current immunization
recommendations.
