What happens at an annual physical?
What happens at an annual physical?
It is a checkup when you feel well: your history is updated, vital signs are taken, you have a physical exam, and your team looks at which screenings and vaccines you may be due for. MedlinePlus says regular checkups are different from appointments for sickness or injury, and that they include physical exams as well as preventive care. AAFP's familydoctor.org describes preventive care as including checks of blood pressure, weight and height, a talk about habits such as exercise and nutrition, screenings, and vaccines. AAFP's page on choosing a family doctor says you and your family should see your doctor at least once a year, and that at this visit your doctor will do a physical exam and review recommended routine screenings. MedlinePlus says to talk with your provider about how often you should have checkups.
This is not clinical evidence and not medical advice. It does not replace your care team. Discuss anything here with your clinician before you act on it.
Arun Verma, co-founder of Triangle · Published
An annual physical is the visit you book when nothing feels urgently wrong. The useful part is often the short list you bring of what changed since last year.
How is a preventive visit different from a problem visit?
A preventive checkup is for staying ahead when you feel fine. A problem visit is for a sickness, injury or a new concern. CDC says regular checkups are separate from any other doctor's visit for sickness or injury. HealthCare.gov defines preventive care as routine health care, including screenings, check-ups and patient counseling, to prevent or discover illness or other health problems. Marketplace plans must cover a set of preventive services without charging a copayment or coinsurance when you see an in-network provider, even if you have not met your deductible, though coverage may vary and zero cost is not guaranteed in all cases. HealthCare.gov also notes that a plan may charge for an office visit while not charging extra for the preventive service that is part of that visit.
What do vital signs and the exam usually cover?
Vital signs at a preventive visit often include blood pressure, weight and height, and the visit usually includes a physical exam plus a talk about your habits and history. AAFP's familydoctor.org lists checking blood pressure, weight and height among common preventive-care steps, and says that during a routine annual checkup your doctor will look at things like your blood pressure, lab results, family history and lifestyle. MedlinePlus says the purpose of these visits includes screening for diseases, helping reduce future risk, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, updating vaccinations and keeping a relationship with a provider in case of illness. How often you need checkups is something to settle with your own team; MedlinePlus says to talk with your provider about that.
What about screenings and vaccines?
Screenings and vaccines are part of preventive care, and which ones fit you depends on your age, sex, overall health, family history and risks, not on a single list for everyone. MedlinePlus puts screening tests, vaccines, and education or counseling under preventive care at a checkup. HealthCare.gov lists preventive services for adults that Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover without a copayment or coinsurance when in-network, including immunizations and screening tests. A fair question for your team is which screenings or vaccines you are due for this year.
What is worth writing down before you go?
A short list of questions, a current medicine list, and anything that has changed since your last visit. MedlinePlus says to review your family health history, find out if you are due for any general screenings or vaccines, and bring a list of issues and questions plus a list of medicines, vitamins and supplements. Its patient page on making the most of a doctor visit adds over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements to that list. AAFP's familydoctor.org says visits are often about 15 minutes, and suggests writing concerns and questions ahead of time, starting with what matters most. If you are not a new patient, that AAFP page says you only need to bring information that is new or has changed since the last visit.
What has changed since last year that is worth bringing up?
Anything new in your history, medicines, other care or day-to-day life since the last visit is fair game. AAFP's Patient Pre-Visit Checklist asks for changes to your medical history since the last visit, including recent emergency department visits or hospital stays, surgeries, new diagnoses and new medicines, plus labs, tests and records from specialists. It also asks for a full current medicine list, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements. MedlinePlus says it helps to share life changes, past or current health conditions or surgeries, allergies, your medicine list and lifestyle habits, and to go over family history of disease.
What general questions could I bring?
You could ask which screenings or vaccines you are due for, whether any medicine on your list should stay the same, and when to come back. MedlinePlus lists starter questions such as "Am I due for any screening tests?", "Should I keep taking this medicine?" and, under prevention, whether there are screening tests or vaccines you should have and what lifestyle changes to consider. It also lists asking when you should schedule more appointments. AAFP's familydoctor.org suggests bringing a ranked list of concerns and questions, and making a plan for anything left unanswered if time runs short. The list stays general; no source here says which questions fit a given person's history.
What happens after the visit?
You may leave with a plan for a test, a medicine change, another visit or a specialist, and results may arrive later. MedlinePlus says your provider may want you to see a specialist, have a test, take a new medicine or schedule more visits, and to write down any new questions about your health, medicines or treatment. It also lists wanting the results of a test among reasons to contact your provider after the visit. AAFP's familydoctor.org adds that if you have questions after the appointment, start to feel worse or have problems with a medicine, or had tests and have not got the results, contacting the office is a fair next step.
Sources
- MedlinePlus: Health Checkup: MedlinePlus says regular checkups with your health care provider are different from appointments for sickness or injury, and that these checkups include physical exams as well as preventive care.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Preventive care protects your health before you feel sick (last updated August 24, 2026): AAFP's familydoctor.org says preventive care often includes checking blood pressure, weight and height; talking about habits like exercise, nutrition and drinking; screenings; getting vaccines; and testing bone density.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: How to Choose a Family Doctor (last updated October 21, 2025), section "When to see a doctor": AAFP's familydoctor.org says you and your family should see your doctor at least once a year, and that at this time your doctor will do a physical exam and review recommended routine screenings.
- CDC: Are You Up to Date on Your Preventive Care? (August 15, 2025): CDC says regular checkups are separate from any other doctor's visit for sickness or injury, and that in addition to physical exams these visits focus on preventive care such as screening tests, vaccines and education and counseling.
- HealthCare.gov: Glossary of Health Coverage and Medical Terms (Preventive Care): HealthCare.gov defines Preventive Care (Preventive Service) as routine health care, including screenings, check-ups, and patient counseling, to prevent or discover illness, disease, or other health problems.
- HealthCare.gov: Preventive health services: HealthCare.gov says most health plans must cover a set of preventive services like screening tests at no cost to you, including plans available through the Marketplace, and that generally these services are covered at no cost when provided by an in-network medical provider, even if you have not met your deductible; coverage may vary and zero cost is not guaranteed in all cases.
- HealthCare.gov: Your total costs for health care: Premium, deductible, and out-of-pocket costs: HealthCare.gov says deductibles are how much you spend for certain covered health services before your plan pays anything, except preventive services covered at no cost, and gives the example that a plan may charge for an office visit but you will not pay extra for the preventive service that is part of that visit.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Preventive care protects your health before you feel sick (last updated August 24, 2026): AAFP's familydoctor.org says that during a routine annual checkup your doctor will look at things like your blood pressure, lab results, family history and lifestyle.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Physical exam frequency (review date May 19, 2025): MedlinePlus says the purpose of these visits is to screen for diseases, assess and help reduce the risk of future medical problems, encourage a healthy lifestyle, update vaccinations, and maintain a relationship with a provider in case of an illness.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Physical exam frequency (review date May 19, 2025): MedlinePlus says to talk with your provider about how often you should have checkups.
- MedlinePlus: Health Checkup: MedlinePlus says preventive care at a checkup may include screening tests, vaccines, and education and counseling to help you make informed health decisions, and that which screenings you need will depend on your age, sex, overall health, family health history and risks for certain diseases.
- HealthCare.gov: Preventive care benefits for adults: HealthCare.gov says all Marketplace health plans and many other plans must cover its listed preventive services for adults without charging a copayment or coinsurance, even if you have not met your yearly deductible, and the adult list includes immunizations and screening tests among other services.
- MedlinePlus: Health Checkup: MedlinePlus says that to make the most of your next checkup, review your family health history, find out if you are due for any general screenings or vaccines, and make and bring a list of issues and questions and a list of any medicines, vitamins and supplements that you take.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus says to write down all medicines, vitamins and supplements you take, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements, and bring this list to your appointment.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor Appointment (last updated October 22, 2025): AAFP's familydoctor.org says you will usually have about 15 minutes of time with your doctor, and to think about concerns and questions, write them down starting with what is most important, and bring the list to your visit.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor Appointment (last updated October 22, 2025): AAFP's familydoctor.org says that if you are not a new patient, you only need to bring information with you that is new or has changed since your last visit with your doctor.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Patient Pre-Visit Checklist (PDF, © 2019 American Academy of Family Physicians): AAFP's Patient Pre-Visit Checklist asks you to write down any changes to your medical history since your last visit, including recent emergency department visits or hospital stays, surgeries, new diagnoses and new medicines, and to make sure the office has received labs, tests and records from any specialists seen since the last visit.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Patient Pre-Visit Checklist (PDF, © 2019 American Academy of Family Physicians): AAFP's Patient Pre-Visit Checklist asks for a list of all medicines you are currently taking, including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus says it is helpful to share life changes, go over any past or current health conditions or surgeries, tell your provider about any family history of disease, tell about allergies, share your medicine list, and be honest about lifestyle habits.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus lists example questions to jot down before a visit, including "Am I due for any screening tests?" and "Should I keep taking this medicine?"
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus says under prevention to ask if there are screening tests or vaccines you should have, whether there are any lifestyle changes you should make, and what you can expect for results, and under follow-up to ask when you should schedule more appointments.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor Appointment (last updated October 22, 2025): AAFP's familydoctor.org says that if you run out of time, tell your doctor when you need more time, talk with an assistant or nurse if needed, or see if you can schedule another appointment for the rest of your questions.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus says after your visit your provider may want you to see a specialist, have a test, take a new medicine or schedule more visits, and to write down any new questions about your health, medicines or treatment.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Make the most of your doctor visit (review date September 15, 2024): MedlinePlus lists wanting the results of a test among reasons you should contact your provider.
- AAFP familydoctor.org: Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor Appointment (last updated October 22, 2025): AAFP's familydoctor.org lists common reasons you may need to call your doctor or send an electronic message after your appointment, including if you have any questions after the appointment, if you start to feel worse or have problems with your medicine, and if you had tests and have not got the results.
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