The physical exam is an essential part of any doctor’s visit. Surprisingly, though, there are no absolutes in a routine physical. A good doctor may be thorough or brief, but they will spend time listening to your concerns and providing counseling for your particular complaints and risk factors. (WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/annual-physical-examinations)
Have you ever gone in for a medical office visit expecting that there wouldn’t be a charge because it was a “preventative” appointment, such as your annual physical, but then been charged for the meeting? It’s become commonplace for clinics and/or doctors to enter many codes related to every issue discussed during the visit. This enables them to not only have thorough records, but also charge more. So, beware, any topic you raise about a new or current specific condition may be coded as something other than your annual physical. A quick review of what things an annual physical covers lists many “exams” but they vary between providers. While the physical is a great time to review many things related to your health, you may want to ask your provider up front to alert you to any topics you bring up that they consider outside of the annual physical preventative code and will charge you for if you continue to talk to them about those topics.