You may watch television these days, the kind with commercials. In one such commercial, a number of “TV doctors” from popular TV shows like “ER”, “Scrubs” and “Grey’s Anatomy” pitch for Cigna healthcare about the importance of annual physical exams.
This makes sense. You want a routine check in with your doctor in case something has changed that you don’t yourself perceive. And at least, there is a baseline of information for the doctor when something does change, so that your doctor has more information to help diagnose and manage whatever it is popped up.
However, research suggests that, at least for the two biggest killers in the US (heart disease and cancer) annual physicals are basically worthless. One analogy makes a lot of sense, at least with respect to these two diseases. This is from “Less Medicine, More Health,” by H. Gilbert Welch:
> “we’ve assumed, he says, that cancers are all like rabbits that you want to catch before they escape the barnyard pen. But some are more like birds—the most aggressive cancers have already taken flight before you can discover them, which is why some people still die from cancer, despite early detection. And lots are more like turtles. They aren’t going anywhere. Removing them won’t make any difference.”
That’s not to say there are no benefits to annual checkups. They are good for diagnosing new disease. However, some physicians argue that no additional lives are saved, and it is very possible that such diagnoses do more harm than good.
Not only that, but there is a cost associated with otherwise healthy people getting an annual checkup – approximately $10,000,000,000 per year in the US.
One thought is, instead of pushing these annual checkups, that instead health care providers focus on establishing relationships with folks who are healthy now, but may need increased care in the future. No blood draws or other medical tests, just a get to know you visit so that, when you do need medical care, you will feel more comfortable coming in and getting it.
You can read an article on this subject here:
[TV doctors say annual checkups save lives. Real doctors call bulls#*t.](http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/9/26/13029358/annual-physical-tv-doctors-america)
