3 Key Questions to Ask at Your Next Physical

You’ll only spend about an average of 18 minutes with your doctor at a primary care visit, according to one study. In that short amount of time, there’s a lot to cover. That’s why coming in prepped with questions is key. Plus, it allows you to take charge of your health and helps “reengage your physician to your individualized health care,” says Tiffany Di Pietro, DO, a cardiologist and concierge primary care physician.

What questions should I ask during my annual physical? 

Three important ones Di Pietro recommends asking:  

What screenings am I due for?

“There are various screening tests — mostly for cancer — [that] are recommended at various ages to help detect cancer early,” she says. That includes things like mammograms or colonoscopies.

Based on my family history, are there any additional tests I should do — outside of typical screenings? 

“If multiple family members had heart attacks, you might want to consider screening for heart disease,” says Di Pietro. This helps further personalize your care and, ultimately, helps prevent disease.

Can we review my lab results together? 

Di Pietro advises always asking your doctor to go through your labs with you (either in person or via telehealth) and to talk through what any abnormal values mean. If your test results show up in your patient portal, don't stress if you see anything out of range. “Many times a value may be ‘out of range’ but this may be something that is very benign and not worrisome. Googling lab values without a good baseline understanding of the medicine can cause undue anxiety and stress,” she says. 

What about blood tests? 

Di Pietro recommends getting blood work done every year. “[It] helps to detect issues that someone may not ‘feel’ and may help to detect a problem before it gets out of hand,” she says. One example is high cholesterol. So if your doc doesn’t mention anything about blood work, be sure to also ask about when and how frequently to have it done.