In recent years, much debate continues regarding the usefulness of routine physicals. Some people argue that the Affordable Care Act will add a significant number of eligible patients, which will take away time from more critical health issues. Others argue that it is unnecessary for relatively healthy people to undergo an annual exam. A number of studies continue to imply that routine exams have no medical benefit. Some people argue that these exams are a ploy for the medical field to make easy money. Some studies indicate that these exams don’t reduce overall deaths, hospitalizations, costs, etc.
However, before you readily agree with these arguments, take into account the flipside. Those who recommend the annual exam claim that patients can discover and treat conditions that could affect them later in life. Catching some of these issues ahead of time can prolong life. To counter the argument that only unhealthy people should schedule a routine physical, take into account the following true scenario.
Scenario: A healthy woman in her early 40s sought a routine physical. With the exception of occasional migraines, she routinely exercises, has healthy vital signs, is at a healthy weight, and eats a relatively nutritious diet. However, she decided with her competitive activities and a poor family health history that she should ensure her health stays on track. While the doctor and the patient felt that everything would turn out normal, an EKG showed an irregular heartbeat. Following that, the woman’s bloodwork indicated a low platelet count. From there, she was sent to specialists. The heart turned out to be fine, but the bloodwork was an issue. A normal platelet count is 150,000-400,000. The woman’s was 33,000 and rapidly declining to less than 18,000 in a matter of weeks. The woman was now in the danger zone of bleeding internally or suffering a fatality in the event of an accident because platelets help a person’s blood clot appropriately. Therefore, her blood was not clotting at a safe rate. This condition has absolutely no symptoms and the only way to know the problem exists is to have bloodwork drawn. What if she had fallen or gotten into a car accident? Her chances of survival were not good at her current platelet level. Typical conditions that cause this issue are cancerous or autoimmune disorders. While her condition is chronic and she will have to deal with it the rest of her life, in this case, the routine physical saved a perfectly “healthy” woman.
Moral: Everyone has the right to determine whether they should get a routine physical or not. But when a healthy person such as the one above runs into a shocking discovery, a routine physical seems to make sense and would be discriminatory to suggest that only those unhealthy should seek physical exams. Consider the benefits of a physical exam. A routine physical could be your only yearly medical expense by proactively ensuring your health. A routine physical may catch something in the early stages that can prolong your life and even reduce expenses if caught early enough. In some cases, such as the woman in the scenario, it can save a life. What’s your take? Is a person’s life worth all the expenses and recommendations for routine physicals? What do you think the woman in the scenario would say?
