Why This Doctor Says Annual Physicals Are a Waste of Time and Money

Do you go to the doc for the sake of going to the doc? (Photo: Stocksy)

For years, experts have recommended that you visit your primary care physician for an annual physical. But one doctor argues they could actually be a waste.

Ateev Mehrotra, MD, an associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, wrote an editorial for The New England Journal of Medicine arguing against the need for people to have an annual physical.

“The annual visit frequently becomes a rushed, impersonal, and largely bureaucratic exercise entailing little more than a brief interview focused on a review of health habits, medications, and allergies, supplemented by a perfunctory physical examination and ordering of recommended screening tests and procedures — in essence, checking all the requisite boxes for reimbursement,” Mehrotra writes.

That’s an intense assessment for a practice that has become a standard of primary care medicine. But Mehrotra tells Yahoo Health that he decided to write the editorial because the annual physical, in its current form, “isn’t working.”

“I found that, for 30 years, people have been talking about getting rid of the annual physical and yet it was still being provided,” he says. “It is not necessary for every adult every year.”

Related: The Weirdest Things Doctors Get Asked

However, the National Institutes of Health still recommends that you see your doctor for regular checkups “even if you feel fine.”

Mehrotra says that recommendation is too broad, and people should seek care depending on their needs. He argues that you may not need an annual visit if you’re following general healthy lifestyle recommendations like maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, and not smoking.

Mehrotra also says that the annual physical may result in tests on healthy people that can give false positives and may result in additional, costly tests or unnecessary treatment — all just to verify that a person is, in fact, healthy. However, “if you give those tests to someone who is feeling ill, it totally changes the equation,” he says.

He still recommends undergoing preventive care measures like mammograms, Pap smears, flu shots, and cholesterol screenings, but says people shouldn’t be married to the idea of the annual “specialized mystical visit.”

But Ruth Sorotzkin, MD, a family medicine physician at California’s Providence Saint John’s Health Center, disagrees. “There is truly benefit to having regular visits with your physician in a non-sick environment,” she tells Yahoo Health.

Related: What Doctors Wish You’d Ask Them

When patients come in with complaints, there isn’t time to focus on wellness issues, which are incredibly important, Sorotzkin says. “We have a population of people in this country who don’t pay enough attention to wellness,” she says. “You really need that time without the pressure of a patient feeling poorly or being in pain to address stress management, eating less sugar, drinking less, and sleeping more.”

Even if you take good care of yourself, Sorotzkin says there is always something that is important to touch base on with your doctor. And, if nothing else, she says having those regular physicals can make your doctor feel more comfortable advising you over the phone when health issues come up and you need professional input — but aren’t sick enough to warrant a trip to the ER.

Related: You Should Call Your Doctor Immediately If You Have These (Seemingly Minor) Symptoms

But what about detecting cancer or heart disease, which may not come with noticeable symptoms? Unfortunately, Mehrotra says regular physical exams typically don’t pick up on a lot of cancers, and Sorotzkin agrees. “Annual physicals aren’t great at detecting cancer,” she says.

Mehrotra stresses that while he doesn’t think healthy people need to visit their primary care physician every year, it’s still important to have a relationship with your doctor. “If you haven’t seen a physician for several years, there is a role for going in to make sure you have a relationship with your doctor,” he says. “And if, at any point, you want to talk to your doctor, go do it.”

Read This Next: What Doctors Do When They Get Sick

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Have a personal health story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at YHTrueStories@yahoo.com.