What Is A Well Visit?

As a pediatrician, I often have expecting parents who come in to interview me or my partner to decide if they want to use us as their pediatricians.  At the visit, we talk about how our practice works and we present them with the recommended schedule of well visits (established by the American Academy of Pediatrics).  This schedule can be found here:  http://brightfutures.aap.org/pdfs/AAP%20Bright%20Futures%20Periodicity%20Sched%20101107.pdf

Parents are often surprised at the number of visits that are recommended.  If they want more information, we explain a bit about what goes on at a well visit and why they are important.  We mention that we review the growth and development of their child, perform a head to toe physical exam, provide guidance on things like feeding and safety, give immunizations, and perform a variety of screens, labs and other assessments depending on the age of the child.

If you look at the Bright Futures schedule linked above, you can see how involved some of these visits are.  As a result of all that is required, the visits (including paperwork, tests, and vaccines) can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes, so parents should probably plan that it will take approximately an hour to complete the visit.  Some of the visits that are less involved (like the 9 month visit) may be faster and a few may take longer (like the 4 year and 11-12 year visit).

Another thing that sometimes surprises parents is how these well visits are billed and what charges are incurred during a well visit.  Medical billing is complex and is based on a process called coding.  I will address that in an upcoming post.  For the time being, think of your medical bill for an office visit as being similar to the bill you receive at a restaurant.