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There is good evidence that doctor intervention during routine office visits can help keep you healthy. This is a summary of the minimum health maintenance screening guidelines that Dean Health Plan recommends for healthy adults who have no symptoms or are at low risk for disease. Additional preventive care may be appropriate. You can talk about this with your doctor.
Counseling
- Recommend that all patients who smoke or use tobacco quit.
- Encourage seat belt use and use of bicycle helmets for all patients.
Physical Examinations
- Recommend that all patients have their blood pressure checked every one to two years.
- Recommend that all women ages 40 and older have a yearly breast exam by a physician.
- Recommend that all women ages 18 to 65 have a Pap smear done a minimum of every one to three years. Pap smears may be discontinued after age 65 if documented previous screenings are normal (minimum of three negative Pap smears in the last 10 years).
Laboratory/Radiology Tests
- Recommend all women ages 50 to 75 have mammograms performed every one to two years.
- Recommend that all patients ages 35 to 65 have their cholesterol checked at least once, then periodically as appropriate.
Immunizations
- Recommend that all patients have a tetanus-diphtheria booster vaccination every 10 years.
- Recommend that all patients older than age 65 or in high-risk groups have an influenza vaccination annually.
- Recommend that all patients older than age 65 or in high-risk groups have a pneumococcal vaccination once. All post-splenectomy patients should have a pneumococcal vaccination every five years.
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