Routine health screenings are a foundational part of preventive care, yet many adult patients delay or avoid them altogether, especially when they feel healthy. For primary care providers, encouraging patients to stay up to date on screenings should focus on building long-term relationships, helping patients understand the rationale for preventive care, and creating space for prevention amid crammed schedules.
Dr. Riley Lipschitz, a primary care physician and Chief Medical Officer for Population Health at Baptist Health, recently joined AFMC TV to discuss how routine screenings support healthy aging and how clinicians can help adult patients stay engaged in preventive care throughout their lives.
“You want to be able to see your clinician when things are going fine so that we can detect things early, prevent problems when we can, and learn about your health journey so we can make sure you’re as healthy as you can be,” she says.
Why are routine health screenings important, even when we feel healthy?
Many patients associate doctors’ visits with illness. If nothing feels wrong, they may not see the point in getting screened. However, preventive care is often most effective before symptoms appear.
As Dr. Lipschitz explains, regular screenings allow clinicians to identify emerging issues early, tailor recommendations based on personal and family history, and establish a baseline that supports long-term decision-making. Age, genetics, and life circumstances all influence screening needs, which can evolve significantly over time.
By encouraging patients to engage in preventive care as early as possible, clinicians can build trust and develop individualized plans that align with each patient’s risk profile and goals.
What screenings do patients often overlook?
While cholesterol, cancer, and blood pressure screenings are more familiar to patients, others are often overlooked, even though they can have a significant impact on quality of life.
Hearing and vision screenings are a common example. These don’t come with a specific age recommendation. But even subtle changes can lead to something more severe if they go unnoticed or untreated.
“The risk with hearing loss is that patients can become more isolated because they’re not hearing as well. They kind of withdraw into themselves, which can lead to a whole set of other problems.”
Mental health screenings and substance use screenings are also essential. While depression and anxiety screening have become more common in primary care, substance use can be harder to identify.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings are another area where assumptions can lead to missed opportunities.
“I screen every single one of my patients for HIV at least once in their life,” Dr. Lipschitz says. “I tell them that I would screen a nun because the more people we screen, the greater the likelihood that I will find one person who didn’t know they had it.”
These often ignored screenings offer meaningful opportunities for prevention, education, and early intervention, particularly when we help patients normalize them as routine parts of care.
What screenings should we encourage patients to start in their 20s and 30s?
In a patient’s 20s and 30s, preventive care is often focused on building healthy habits and establishing baseline health markers. This is also a critical period for identifying early risk factors related to mental health, metabolic conditions, and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Lipschitz emphasizes that lifestyle counseling plays a central role at this stage.
“The big picture at this stage of life is really thinking about the lifestyle habits patients need to employ to keep themselves healthy,” Dr. Lipschitz adds. “Then, we start adding to the list of screenings as patients get older.”
Encouraging engagement during this phase, even if visits are infrequent, can set the tone for preventive care later in life.
What screenings are recommended for patients in their 40s and 50s?
By their 40s and 50s, patients typically require more frequent and diverse screenings, making continuity of care increasingly important. At this stage, preventive care may look a little more complex.
“If a patient is 40, and they haven’t seen a doctor in a while, they need to go see somebody and develop a relationship because primary care is a relationship you build over time. That’s how your clinician gets to know what’s really best for you,” Dr. Lipschitz says.
This stage is often when screening recommendations begin to “stack up,” and patients may feel overwhelmed. Clear communication, prioritization, and reassurance can help patients stay engaged rather than disengaging altogether.
What screenings are best for patients 65 and older to maintain quality of life?
For patients 65 and older, preventive care conversations often shift toward maintaining independence, mobility, and overall quality of life.
“If your patient wants to maintain their quality of life and they’re 65, we need to be talking to them about how much they’re walking,” she says. “How much exercise are they doing? What is their diet like? What’s their stress level? How’s their mental health?”
Routine screenings for chronic disease and cancer remain important, but clinicians may also focus more on functional status and long-term planning.
“When a patient hits age 65, I start talking a lot more aggressively about what they're going to do to make sure they’re healthy at age 75 or age 85,” Dr. Lipschitz explains. “We all know some of those 90-year-olds who make us think, ‘I wanna be like them when I’m 90.’
As our patients age, the gap between healthy and unhealthy can widen significantly.
“You can be a really healthy 70-year-old, or you can be a very unhealthy 70-year-old,” Dr. Lipschitz says. “That delta grows wider and wider as patients grow older. So, if they start early, they can start themselves on the trajectory of the healthy group.”
Where can patients go to find a healthcare provider who’s right for them?
Consistent preventive care depends on trust, access, and fit. Helping patients establish care with a provider who meets their needs is a key part of long-term screening adherence.
For Medicaid patients, resources like ConnectCare can help identify clinicians and specialists who accept Medicaid, organized by county.
Find out how ConnectCare works or call the ConnectCare Helpline at 1-800-275-1131.
For younger adults, Dr. Lipschitz notes that regular checkups may look different.
“I don’t get upset when my 20-year-old patients don’t have primary care doctors. Just make sure you get your screening. If you’re healthy, and you want to check in every few years, that’s fine.”
As patients get older, however, regular primary care visits become increasingly important.
“When I meet somebody for the first time for primary care, I tell them it’s a get-to-know-you visit, and it’s not just me getting to know them, but also them getting to know me,” Dr. Lipschitz says.
Finding the right provider can also play a huge part in whether a patient continues to schedule screening visits. Normalizing the idea that patients can find a provider that fits best for their needs can help them feel more comfortable advocating for their needs.
“If a patient feels like a provider isn’t hearing them, validating them, or taking the time they need, for whatever reason, it doesn’t matter whether those things are true. That’s how that patient feels,” Dr. Lipschitz says. “Listen to that feeling and understand that they may want to pick someone else who fits their expectations better.”
How can providers encourage patients to stay on track with screenings?
Annual wellness visits are a powerful tool for supporting preventive care, particularly for older adults. These visits provide dedicated time to review current health, plan future screenings, and address lifestyle factors that influence long-term outcomes.
They can also open the door to conversations about advance care planning and patient preferences.
“I talk with them about what they would want if, God forbid, their life was shortened,” Dr. Lipschitz says. “If something happens and they end up in the hospital, what would they want? We need to be on the same page because we have no idea what the future holds. But if we can talk about planning for the worst and hoping for the best, that’s all part of this screening journey about protecting our patients’ health.”
By framing screenings as a part of a long-term partnership rather than a checklist, clinicians can help patients feel supported rather than overwhelmed.
Bottom Line: Screening as a Long-Term Relationship
Routine health screenings are not one-size-fits-all, nor are they one-time conversations. For primary care providers, preventive care is an ongoing process shaped by trust, communication, and shared decision-making.
By addressing overlooked screenings, adapting recommendations to specific patient needs, and helping patients navigate their options, clinicians can play a critical role in keeping patients healthy now and in the future.
