Get the Right Preventive Care
These days health care consumers and their physicians have a dizzying array of potential screening tests and vaccines to consider. Getting the right preventive care at the right time can not only save a lot of money further down the line, but can actually save your life! On the other hand, unnecessary tests and procedures not only waste your time and limited health care dollars, but also have health risks.
So how do you know what’s right for you and your family? Talking to your physician is the place to start. They can help you determine what routine screenings and vaccines are truly necessary. When you discuss preventive care with your physician, insist that you want your care decisions to be guided by evidence-based guidelines. Let your physician know that you want to avoid the expense, inconvenience and risk of unnecessary tests or vaccines that are not supported by sound research. You can also help by making a conscious effort to avoid asking to try every new approach or drug you read about on the Internet or see advertised on television. Ask questions about whether medications or procedures you see advertised meet evidence-based care guidelines before you ask to try them.
To learn more about which screenings and tests are supported by good evidence, you can visit a helpful government Web site that contains the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
In addition, you may also want to visit the following page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for information and schedules for preventive vaccines.
Both these sites are government-operated sites with credible information that is uninfluenced by the pharmaceutical companies or others with special interests. Always discuss information you read on the internet with your own physician before making any final decisions about your health care.
You can be a part of the solution to the health care challenge at MSU by knowing what preventive care you do and don’t need and using your benefits wisely!
Back
