Sports physicals are specific to sports activities and are focused on injury prevention. ERgent Med sports physicals consist of two parts: a health history and a physical examination. The patient and/or parent will complete a health history questionnaire and the clinician will review this. If any flags are raised, it could alert the clinician to further investigate specific issues more closely. For example, based on a specific patient’s health history, a clinician may be able to detect heart-related issues and uncover risk factors that could trigger an illness during strenuous physical activity. We can also provide recommendations to prevent issues during exercise. Most sports programs require a sports physical exam prior to participation, so schedule your sports physical well in advance of the first practice. Remember, sports physicals are not a substitute annual exams or annual back-to-school physicals if those are required by your school.

School physicals are an important aspect of a child’s healthcare. Throughout childhood and adolescence, children undergo dramatic changes in height, weight and many other physical characteristics. A school physical is an opportunity for both a clinician and parents to make sure a child is on the right track of healthy, age-appropriate development. The start of a new school year is an ideal time to complete this assessment. However, a back-to-school physical should not replace a routine, annual check-up with a pediatrician. During a school physical, your provider and ERgent Med team will assess your child’s health and family history; perform an evaluation of height, weight, blood pressure, vision, heart and other physical systems. We also pull immunization records to ensure that your child’s immunizations are up to date and within requirements for their school attendance.

• Please note: We do not perform school physicals for children under the age of 7 (requiring audiometry screening to enter kindergarten/ 1^st grade), these are typically done at the health department.

Medicare covers an annual wellness visit for Medicare patients once a year. Included in the Medicare Annual Wellness visit is height, weight, BMI, and blood pressure. At this visit, we will review your personal medical history, family medical history, and any potential risk factors for preventable diseases such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Anxiety, and depression. We also review what immunizations/ vaccinations are up to date and which ones are due and assess safety of our patients at theses visits.  It should be noted that any blood work or lab tests that may be part of a physical exam, are not necessarily included under a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and we try to stay up to par in ordering only those things that are absolutely necessary for monitoring of routine medical conditions. Medicare Annual Wellness visits help us to have an updated summary of your health and they help us to make a plan of what screening tests are due and give us a baseline for future examinations and visits. Medicare does pay for many preventive services like mammograms, bone density tests, colon cancer screening, prostate cancer screening, and flu shots.

The following are reviewed in your annual exam:

• Personal Past Medical History: This includes any illnesses, issues, or problems you’ve been diagnosed with in the past and if those are active problems or not
• Present medical history, including any pertinent complaints or concerns about your health.
• Your Social History- including lifestyle behaviors like smoking, excessive alcohol use, sexual health, diet, and exercise.
• Immunization and vaccination status
• Family history review
• Surgical History review
• Medication history and active medications review – please bring pill bottles and boxes of all medications you are actively taking to this visit.
• Vital Signs: These are some vital signs checked by your doctor:
  • Blood pressure- high blood pressure is defined as a systolic (top) number over 120 and a diastolic (bottom number) less than 80. High blood pressure is when blood pressure is consistently higher than 130/ 80.
  • Heart Rate- Normal adult heart rate is between 60 beats per minute and 100 beats per minute. Many fit and healthy people who exercise regularly can have heart rates less than 60, however.
  • Respiratory Rate- Breathing 12-18 times a minute is a normal adult respiratory rate. A respiratory rate over 20 could indicate a cardiac or respiratory problem and should be evaluated.
  • Weight
  • Height
  • Body Temperature- 98.6 F is considered a normal resting body temperature. Many people can vary from this, however, and normal body temperatures can range below or above this number.
• Physical Examination- Depending on the person, the provider, and the need, the physical examination can be brief or more detailed. Common parts of a physical exam include general inspection, review of vital signs, and examination of eyes, head, nose, throat, heart, lungs, abdomen, and pulses.

• Recommendations- Based upon review of your history, concerns, and physical exam findings, your provider will make recommendations for screening tests that you may be due, immunizations that you may need, and plans for proper diet, exercise, and also for review of routine blood work to rule out things like high cholesterol, anemia, prostate issues, etc. Your provider may refer you to a specialist for further evaluation and management of concerns discovered during the visit. Each annual wellness visit is tailored to the individual patient’s needs ultimately.