Live Healthy Preventive Care
We believe that prevention really is the best medicine. That’s why we offer preventive benefits like immunizations and check-ups to help you and your family stay healthy.
Share with Your Doctor
One of the most important ways to practice preventive care is to establish a good relationship with your doctor. The better your doctor knows your health concerns, the better your care will be. Your doctor should know your:
- Risks for specific diseases
- Medical and surgical history
- Family history
- Social history
- A review of any current symptoms
In addition, your doctor should provide important counseling about injury prevention, diet and exercise, substance use, needed immunizations and drug therapy. You can then work together to develop a routine examination schedule and additional types of preventive care tailored to your health concerns and lifestyle.
Play It Safe
Routine visits with your doctor are important to keep you healthy and counseled on injury prevention, but they can't actually prevent injuries. That's why practicing injury prevention is just as important as getting routine check-ups, eating healthy, maintaining a moderate weight, exercising regularly, and managing stress. Injury prevention focuses on the things you can do every day to help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries – like wearing your seatbelt or using the proper equipment when you exercise.
Dental Care is also an important part of staying healthy. The following are general recommendations in practicing preventive dental care:
- Have regular visits to a dental care provider
- Floss, brush with fluoride toothpaste daily
- For babies - seek advice about baby bottle tooth decay
Below are some preventive care links to include: The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2014, Child and Adolescent Health Recommendations, and Adult Health Recommendations. These links are taken from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Web site, and the recommendations are provided by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), as sponsored by AHRQ. The USPSTF recommendations are considered “gold-standard” for clinical preventive services, and they include prevention measures that should be taken to help lead you to a healthier and safer life.
The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2012-14
Child and Adolescent Health Recommendations
Adult Health Recommendations
The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2014 is a compilation of abridged USPSTF recommendations. The complete U. S. Preventive Services Task Force USPSTF recommendation statements are available at www.USPreventiveServicesTaskForce.org.
The AHRQ provides additional resources on preventive care based on recommendations made by the USPSTF. UnitedHealthcare has adopted these recommendations and uses them as minimum standards for preventive care. Some of the additional resources include the following: