Maybe it started with a postcard, a portal message, or a checkup where someone asked when you last had a certain test. You are not sure what the test is for, whether it applies to you, or whether you are supposed to do anything about it. That is a very common place to start, and it is easy to feel behind.
Short answer: preventive care is the set of visits, vaccines, lab tests and screenings that look for health problems early or help you stay well. Screening is the part that checks for a disease before you have symptoms. Which tests fit you depends on your age, your sex, your family history and your risk factors, and this guide walks you through sorting that out.
| What counts as preventive care | Medicare lists exams, vaccines, lab tests, screenings, health monitoring, and counseling and education (Medicare preventive services page). |
| What a screening is | A test that looks for diseases before you have symptoms, which can find some diseases early, when they are easier to treat (MedlinePlus). |
| Which tests apply to you | MedlinePlus says it depends on your age, your sex, your family history and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases. |
| Cost with Medicare | Medicare says you pay nothing for most preventive services if the provider accepts assignment, meaning Medicare’s approved payment is accepted as full payment for covered services. |
| Reminders | In a 2017 randomized trial in one urban primary care clinic, an immunization alert did not change how often other preventive services were delivered (Clinical Pediatrics trial). |
| Your next step | Write down your age, sex, family history and past tests, then ask which tests apply to you and from what age. |
Where are you starting?
Step 1: Sort out what the reminder is asking
You are at the start. A reminder arrived, and you want to know what it means before you act on it.
Preventive care covers more than screening tests. Medicare’s list of covered preventive services includes cardiovascular disease screenings, diabetes screenings, depression screenings, bone mass measurements, and yearly ‘Wellness’ visits, along with vaccines such as flu, hepatitis B, pneumococcal and COVID-19 shots (Medicare).
If a reminder does not match your situation, ask what information was used to generate it. The guide on a preventive care reminder that does not fit your history covers what to ask in that case.
What this means for you: Ask whether the test applies to you based on your age, sex, family history and other risk factors.
Read next
A Screening Reminder Arrives: What Age, History, and Timing Questions Matter: the questions to bring when a screening reminder shows up.
Once you know what the reminder is about, the next question is whether that test fits someone your age and sex.
Step 2: Find out which screenings usually apply to you
Now you are looking at your own profile against the list. MedlinePlus names the conditions doctors commonly screen for, including breast and cervical cancer in women, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer in men, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and overweight and obesity (MedlinePlus).
If you are a man asking about cancer screening after 50, Medicare’s list includes prostate cancer screenings, colorectal cancer screenings (including colonoscopies and stool-based tests), and lung cancer screenings (Medicare). Neither page gives a starting age for men, so bring this exact question to your visit: which of these apply to me, and from what age?
If you are a woman asking what an OB-GYN office screens for, Medicare’s list includes cervical and vaginal cancer screenings, mammograms, bone mass measurements, and STI and HIV screenings. A 2005 review in Maturitas found that cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis-related fractures are the three main causes of death and disability in postmenopausal women, and it called for at least minimal preventive measures for all three.
Some tests on a list are not automatically recommended for everyone. A 2000 Canadian Task Force review found insufficient evidence to recommend screening for elevated homocysteine, a blood marker. A 2013 systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found the evidence insufficient to determine the benefits of suicide-risk screening in primary care, while noting very limited evidence of serious harms.
Costs can change the picture too. Medicare says your doctor may recommend services Medicare does not cover, or offers too frequently, which could mean extra costs. It advises asking why a service is recommended and what Medicare will actually cover.
What this means for you: Your sex, your age and your family history decide which items on the list matter. Ask your clinician to name the tests for your profile and the age you should start each one.
Two questions can help you hear the right answer: is this test screening or diagnostic testing, and how has the recommendation changed over time? The guide on preventive care recommendations that change over time covers that second question.
Read next
What to Ask About Screening Tests at a Primary Care Visit: a set of questions to take into the room.
With your list narrowed down, the next step is gathering the details your clinician will ask about.
Step 3: Get your history and records ready before the visit
You may not remember every test or family detail. This is the chapter where you pull it together.
Start with family history. Ask parents, siblings and other relatives what has been diagnosed in the family, and note any changes. The guides on gathering family health history and what to bring to a preventive visit give you a checklist for this.
Vaccines need records too. A 2025 ACG clinical guideline update for inflammatory bowel disease says documentation and recommendations for vaccinations are crucial for patients on immune-modifying therapies, and it asks primary care and gastroenterology teams to coordinate on screening for osteoporosis, cervical cancer and skin cancer. If that applies to you, tell your clinician early.
What this means for you: Write down each test you have had, the approximate date, and any vaccine you remember. A short list saves the clinician from guessing and keeps the visit focused.
Read next
Family Health History Changes: What to Update Before the Next Visit: what to update when a relative’s diagnosis or details change.
Once your history is in order, many people want to look at their own numbers, such as blood pressure and blood sugar, before the visit.
Step 4: Track the numbers that screening looks at
Your numbers are part of the picture. MedlinePlus lists high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes among the conditions doctors commonly screen for (MedlinePlus).
A single number is a snapshot. Keep that in mind when a number changes.
Start with the basics: how to take a reading at home, and what can throw a reading off. The guides on taking blood pressure at home and what throws off a blood pressure reading are the place to begin. For blood sugar, what your A1C should be for your age is the common next question.
What this means for you: Record the number, the time, and what was going on, such as exercise, a meal or stress. Bring the log to your visit so the clinician sees the pattern, not one reading.
Read next
Blood Pressure Chart by Age and Gender: a reference to compare your readings with, to bring to your clinician.
Numbers lead to decisions, and decisions are best made with your clinician in the room.
Step 5: Decide with your clinician and write the decision down
This is where a test becomes a choice. Ask what the test can find, what it can miss, what follow-up it leads to, and what waiting would mean. The guide on benefits and downsides of a shared decision lays out those questions.
Electronic reminders can help some parts of care. A 2011 systematic review of computerized clinical decision support for primary preventive care found that these systems improved the process of care in 25 of 40 trials (63%). Its strongest support was for screening and managing dyslipidaemia, the evidence was mixed for cancer screening, and patient outcomes were poorly supported. Medicare also lists a yearly ‘Wellness’ visit, and the annual wellness visit questions guide can help you prepare for it.
What this means for you: For each test discussed, write the name, what it is for, its possible benefits and harms, what you decided, and when to revisit it. A short written record makes the decision yours and keeps it clear.
Read next
An Annual Visit Includes a Screening Discussion: Tracking the Decision: a way to record what you decided and when to look again.
With your decisions noted, the last step is making the visit itself go well.
Step 6: Plan the visit and your questions
A preventive visit has limited minutes, so plan what you will ask. Pick one main concern and a few questions that matter most to you. The guide on choosing a visit agenda when a checkup raises several concerns shows how to order them.
Bring your medicine list, your history, and your number log. The primary care appointment preparation guide lists what to gather before you walk in.
What this means for you: Write your one main concern at the top of a page, then three questions under it. Start the visit by reading that page aloud.
Read next
A Primary Care Visit Agenda: One Main Concern and Three Useful Questions: a simple agenda to bring into the room.
If the visit brings up a supplement or a prescription option, that is the next chapter.
Step 7: Look at supplements and prescriptions with the evidence in view
You may come across a supplement or a prescription option while you research prevention. Start with the options your clinician can offer, then look at the research behind any product.
Where the evidence covers a prescription option, Medicare’s list includes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention (Medicare). A 2015 American Family Physician review on preventive care for men who have sex with men says PrEP is an option for those at very high risk of HIV, and that screening for sexually transmitted infections should be based on risk rather than symptoms, because these infections are often without symptoms.
Supplements need a different kind of check. A 2017 systematic review of 26 published supplement studies on QT/QTc heart rhythm intervals found that more than 30% of included studies showed some degree of ECG change, which the authors say calls for continued cardiovascular safety assessment. A 2023 narrative review argues that supplement regulation is less strict than prescription medicine review and describes 79,071 adverse events reported to the FDA between 2004 and 2021.
When a product page makes a claim, the claim is the seller’s statement. Check what the study measured and what outcome it reported, which the plain-language guide to reading a clinical study (our research library) explains. Ask your clinician or pharmacist to check any supplement against your current medicines.
What this means for you: Treat a supplement as a question to bring to your clinician, not a replacement for a screening or a visit. Bring the exact label so the pharmacist can see the amounts.
Read next
What Raises Blood Pressure Fast? Low BP Safety Guide: a safety angle to read before you try anything that changes your numbers.
Your next step
- Write down the reminder or question you received, and your age, sex and family history.
- List your past tests and vaccines with approximate dates, and ask your clinician which screenings apply to you and from what age.
- Choose one main concern for your next visit and bring three written questions.
Every guide on this topic
Reminders and screening
- A Preventive Care Reminder Does Not Fit Your History: Clarification Questions: what to ask when a reminder seems wrong.
- A Screening Reminder Arrives: What Age, History, and Timing Questions Matter: the timing questions to bring.
- What to Ask About Screening Tests at a Primary Care Visit: questions for the test itself.
- Screening or Diagnostic Testing?: why the test is being done.
- Preventive Care Questions When a Recommendation Changes Over Time: when advice shifts between visits.
- Primary Care Preventive Care Questions When Your Life Circumstances Change: when a job, move or caregiving role changes things.
History, records and vaccines
- Family Health History Changes: What to Update Before the Next Visit: updating relatives’ diagnoses.
- How to Gather Family Health History Before a Preventive Care Visit: how to ask your relatives.
- Preparing for a Preventive Visit: Family History and Records to Bring: what to bring on the day.
- Updating Your Health History Before a Primary Care Checkup: keeping your history current.
- Planning a Preventive Care Conversation About Vaccines: Records and Questions: vaccine records and questions.
Visit planning and decisions
- An Annual Visit Includes a Screening Discussion: Tracking the Decision: recording what you decided.
- Shared Decision Question: Primary Care Benefits and Downsides: weighing a test with your clinician.
- Annual Wellness Visit Questions: How to Prepare for a Health Risk Assessment: preparing for the yearly wellness visit.
- Preventive Care Conversations: How to Prepare Questions for a Checkup: questions for a prevention-focused checkup.
- A Routine Checkup Raises Several Concerns: Choosing a Visit Agenda: ordering several concerns.
- A Primary Care Visit Agenda: One Main Concern and Three Useful Questions: a one-concern agenda.
- Primary Care Appointment Preparation: A Practical Guide for Your Next Visit: preparing for the appointment.
- Preparing a Health Goal Question for Primary Care: framing a goal for the visit.
- Advance Care Planning Question for a Primary Care Visit: planning ahead with your clinician.
Numbers you track at home
- How to Take Blood Pressure at Home: measuring at home.
- Blood Pressure Chart by Age and Gender: a chart to compare readings.
- What Throws Off a Blood Pressure Reading: common reading errors.
- What Raises Blood Pressure Fast? Low BP Safety Guide: a safety check on fast changes.
- What Not to Do Before a Heart Calcium Test: preparing for that test.
- Good Cholesterol Levels by Age: Visit Guide: cholesterol numbers to discuss.
- What Should My A1C Be for My Age?: a common blood sugar question.
- How Often to Check Blood Sugar: timing of checks.
- Blood Sugar High After Exercise: How Long It Lasts: patterns after activity.
- How to Lower A1C: What to Do and Ask at the Visit: questions for your clinician.
- Dangerous Blood Sugar Levels: Signs, Numbers and Next Steps: when to act quickly.
Primary Care Visit Guide is a publication. These guides are for education and do not replace care from a qualified professional.
By Primary Care Visit Guide Editorial Team