WHY IS PREVENTATIVE HEALTHCARE IMPORTANT?

Chronic illnesses impact people differently. Some are disabling or require major changes to one’s lifestyle. Chronic disease can impact physical health, mental health, relationships, finances, and even employment. If a disease is not prevented, it can even shorten a person’s life.

Preventative health care can increase life expectancy. It allows a physician to catch issues early and treat them easier. If you have your blood pressure checked regularly and receive medical advice on good diet and nutrition, it can help prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. 

There are certain types of diseases that people should start watching for when they reach a certain age. These include:

• Breast Cancer: Women should start getting a mammogram when they reach the age of 50.
• High Cholesterol: Men who are over the age of 35 and women who are over the age of 45 should get their cholesterol screened regularly. High cholesterol can lead to heart disease.
• Cervical health: Women between the ages of 21 and 65 should see their doctor regularly.
• Diabetes: High blood pressure can often be a good indicator that a person should be screened for diabetes.

Other types of preventative health care include flu shots. According to the CDC, the flu vaccine can reduce illness in individuals by as much as 60%. Diabetes can also be prevented by practicing a healthy diet, with counseling from a concierge doctor on healthy lifestyle habits. 

Preventative health care can save employers and patients time and money. According to the American Heart Association, a person with cardiovascular disease will cost the employer around 60 hours and around $1,100 in lost productivity each year in comparison to a person without cardiovascular disease. Insight Life Care also helps employers get their employees access to preventative health care, helping increase workplace productivity.

 Preventative health care, including counseling on healthy nutrition, can save individuals money, too. According to an NIH study, in 2001, people who were of normal weight had average medical expenses per year of $2,783 whereas overweight people had medical expenses of up to $4,725 per year.

Practicing preventative health care will help catch diseases before they become serious. Serious treatments tend to increase the cost of treatment. Working with a concierge medical service will also inform you of which health concerns you need to be mindful of, preventing future diseases. Lastly, preventative health care is a much more affordable option than paying more money for serious medical interventions. 

There are many different obstacles to preventative health care:

• Oftentimes, preventative health care is covered by health insurance. However, about 1 in 10 Americans do not have health insurance.
• Even though many Americans have health insurance, their co-payments are often not affordable when trying to cover preventative health care procedures.
• Sometimes, people often have difficulty scheduling a time with their primary health care provider.

According to the US Census Bureau, women were more likely to see a doctor than men for preventative healthcare. In 2010, only 67% of men had visited a primary care physician in the previous year. A concierge medical provider, like Insight Life Care, makes access to preventative health care easy and hassle free. Our concierge medical services include:

• One-on-one meetings with a doctor and no doctor substitutes.
• Getting an appointment within the same day.
• An affordable membership option that starts at $150 per month.
• Unhurried doctor visits (at a traditional primary care office, the average visit is only about 15 minutes)
• Education about lifestyle choices, lab work and tests done in the office, and some tests (like EKGs) done wherever you are remotely.

Another attractive option of working with Insight Life Care is that our doctor is a Fellow of Hospital Medicine and will see you in the hospital if you require that level of care. Our services include options for people of all walks of life. We offer affordable adult primary care, concierge medicine, telehealth, and other medical services, without the hassle of visiting a traditional primary care office. 

During the pandemic, many patients have stopped going to their doctor for routine visits for a wide variety of reasons. However, there are a wide array of different services available from a concierge doctor that can help patients receive preventative health care during the pandemic:

• Visiting with a doctor over the phone or doing telehealth.
• Having a concierge doctor make a house call.
• A concierge doctor can often meet with you within 24 hours of your reaching out to make an appointment.

People with a chronic or worsening health condition are also more at risk to get sicker from COVID-19, so it is very important to seek preventative health care during the course of the pandemic.