Keeping up with doctor’s appointments is essential to managing health and staying informed, but it can often feel overwhelming. From scheduling and transportation to understanding medical advice and ensuring proper follow-up, there are many details to manage. This is where Understood Care can help. Our advocates serve as trusted guides, working alongside you or your loved one to make the process easier, more organized, and more comfortable.
Personalized Support Before and After Every Appointment
Understood Care advocates provide hands-on help with all aspects of medical visits. We help you schedule appointments, confirm provider information, and prepare for the visit itself. This might include reviewing your questions ahead of time, making sure prescriptions are current, or gathering any medical records needed. After the appointment, we help you understand the doctor’s recommendations and take the right steps to follow through on care instructions, referrals, or additional tests.
A Partner to Help You Understand Your Care
Medical visits can involve unfamiliar language, new diagnoses, or complex treatment plans. Your advocate is there to help translate this information into clear, understandable terms. We make sure you feel confident about what was discussed during the visit and that you know what actions to take next. If something is unclear or left unanswered, your advocate can follow up with your provider to get the information you need.
Coordination Across Your Care Team
Many people receive care from more than one doctor. Your advocate helps ensure that your care is well coordinated across primary care providers, specialists, and other professionals. We help share information between offices, keep records consistent, and make sure appointments align with your overall care goals. This reduces confusion and helps prevent important details from being overlooked.
Support for Getting to and From the Appointment
Transportation should never be the reason you miss a doctor’s visit. Your advocate helps you arrange reliable ways to get to and from appointments. Whether that means booking a ride service, coordinating with a caregiver, or finding community transportation resources, we make sure you have safe and timely access to care. We also consider mobility needs, language assistance, and other accessibility factors to support your comfort and safety.
Emotional and Practical Support Throughout
Doctor’s visits can bring up feelings of stress, uncertainty, or fatigue, especially when managing long-term conditions or complex health needs. Understood Care advocates are here to offer steady support throughout the experience. We are here to listen, provide encouragement, and help you make informed decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
Confidence in Every Step of the Journey
With Understood Care, you are never alone in managing your medical appointments. From the moment you schedule your visit to the follow-up that comes afterward, your advocate is there to help you stay organized, prepared, and empowered. We make it easier to stay connected to the care you need and to move forward with confidence.
What preventive care means
Preventive care is everything you do to stay healthy and to catch problems early. It includes routine checkups, vaccines, and screening tests that look for conditions before symptoms appear. These services lower the chance of serious illness and help you and your clinician make a plan that fits your risks and goals.
Your core Medicare preventive visits
The Welcome to Medicare preventive visit
During your first year on Part B you can get a one time visit that reviews your health history, screens for risks, and sets up needed preventive services. Many people call this the Welcome to Medicare visit. If your clinician accepts assignment you usually pay nothing.
The Yearly Wellness Visit
After your first year on Part B you can have a yearly wellness visit. It is not a head to toe physical. It is a structured check in where you and your clinician update your health history, review medications, screen for depression and safety risks, and build a personalized prevention plan with the screening schedule and vaccines you need. Your first wellness visit cannot be within twelve months of your Part B start or your Welcome to Medicare visit.
Tip Bring a list of your medicines and supplements, your home blood pressure readings if you track them, questions you want answered, and the name of a trusted contact for your care plan.
Screening tests many adults need
Screening recommendations vary by age, sex, and personal risk. A good rule is to follow grade A and B services from the United States Preventive Services Task Force and to tailor based on your history and preferences. Talk with your clinician about what fits you best.
Cancer screening
Breast cancer
Most women benefit from mammograms every other year from ages forty to seventy four. Decisions after seventy five depend on overall health and preferences.
Colorectal cancer
Adults should start screening at age forty five and continue through age seventy five using stool tests or visual tests such as colonoscopy. Between seventy six and eighty five the decision is individualized based on prior results and health status.
Prostate cancer
For many men ages fifty five to sixty nine the decision to have a prostate specific antigen blood test is a personal one after a discussion of benefits and harms. Routine screening is not recommended at age seventy and older.
Lung health
If you are fifty to eighty, have at least a twenty pack year smoking history, and currently smoke or quit within the past fifteen years, yearly low dose CT can reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer. A regular chest X ray is not recommended for lung cancer screening.
Bone health
Osteoporosis
Women sixty five and older should have a bone density scan. Younger postmenopausal women with risk factors may also need testing. Results guide nutrition, exercise, and medicines that prevent fractures.
Heart and metabolic health
Blood pressure
All adults should have their blood pressure checked. Many people forty and older benefit from yearly checks, and home or ambulatory readings are used to confirm a diagnosis.
Blood sugar
Adults thirty five to seventy who have overweight or obesity should be screened for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. If you have pre-diabetes your clinician can refer you to proven preventive programs.
Cholesterol and statins
Adults forty to seventy five with one or more cardiovascular risk factors may benefit from a statin for prevention based on their calculated ten year risk. Decide with your clinician after reviewing your numbers and preferences.
Vaccines that protect adults
Staying up to date on vaccines prevents illness and hospital stays. Your clinician will tailor the schedule to your age and health conditions, using the current adult immunization schedule.
What many adults need
- Flu vaccine every year
- Updated COVID vaccine when recommended
- Tdap or Td boosters as directed
- Shingles vaccination with two doses of Shingrix starting at age fifty
- Pneumococcal vaccination for adults fifty and older as indicated and for all adults sixty five and older following current options such as PCV20 or PCV21 with schedules based on past vaccines
Safety and daily life check ins
Falls are common and can be serious for older adults. Screening for fall risk, medication review, vision checks, home safety, and balance and strength exercises lower the chance of injury.
Everyday steps to lower risk
- Review medicines that can cause dizziness or sleepiness
- Get your eyes checked and update your glasses
- Ask about a balance and strength program that fits your abilities
- Use assistive devices that help with walking and transfers when needed
- Make home changes such as removing loose rugs, adding grab bars, and improving lighting
If mobility equipment would help you stay independent, see Understood Care’s page on Mobility Equipment Support at https://understoodcare.com/care-types/mobility-equipment. If rides are the barrier, our Transportation Help page is here: https://understoodcare.com/care-types/transportation-help
How an advocate helps you actually get preventive care done
Amanda from Understood Care said it best in her video. Preventive care works when someone helps you connect the dots.
Here is what our advocates can do for you
- Contact your primary care or specialist to confirm where the order was sent for your mammogram, bone density scan, colonoscopy, prostate lab, or lung CT
- Verify that the imaging center or clinic received the order and that it is legible and complete
- Check whether authorizations are needed and obtain them when required
- Call the facility to confirm earliest appointments and place you on a cancellation list if you want something sooner
- Do a three way call so you hear everything directly and can ask questions
- Schedule the appointment while you are on the line whenever possible
- Help you plan transportation and access needs for the day of your test
- Remind you about prep steps such as bowel prep for colonoscopy or removing metal before a bone density scan
- Follow up to make sure results reach your clinician and that you understand next steps
If transportation, mobility, or preparation is stressing you, an advocate can make those calls and get you scheduled so you stay safe and healthy, just like Amanda described
What Medicare usually covers for preventive care
Medicare Part B covers a wide range of preventive services such as the Welcome to Medicare visit, the yearly wellness visit, many vaccines, and screenings like colorectal cancer tests. Your costs can change if additional diagnostic testing is done during the same visit, so ask what will be billed as preventive versus diagnostic. To see examples of covered services, review the Medicare preventive and screening services list.
How to prepare for common screenings
Mammogram
- Wear a two piece outfit
- Avoid deodorant or powders on exam day
- Bring prior images if you are going to a new facility
- Tell the technologist about implants or surgeries
Colonoscopy
- Follow the exact prep instructions
- Plan a ride home and time to rest that day
- Ask about stool based alternatives if you prefer a noninvasive option and are average risk
Bone density scan
- Avoid calcium supplements for twenty four hours before the test unless you were told otherwise
- Wear clothing without metal
Lung cancer low dose CT
- Confirm you meet eligibility
- Schedule a shared decision making visit if your center requires it
Prostate screening
- Plan a short conversation with your clinician about your values and preferences before ordering a PSA test
When to contact Understood Care
If your clinician ordered a mammogram, bone density scan, colonoscopy, prostate screening, or a low dose CT and you are not hearing back, we can make the calls for you. We verify orders, secure authorizations, and get you on the schedule. We can also do a conference call with you so you hear everything in real time and can give consent or ask questions on the spot. If you want help now, visit our Transportation Help or Mobility Equipment pages above to get started
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Welcome to Medicare visit and the yearly wellness visit
The Welcome visit is a one time preventive visit during your first year on Part B. The yearly wellness visit happens every year after that. Both visits focus on risk review, screening plans, vaccines, and referrals. They are not a full head to toe physical exam.
Which preventive screenings are most important after age sixty five
Most people in this age group discuss colorectal cancer screening, bone density testing for women, blood pressure, blood sugar, and vaccines including flu, COVID, shingles, and pneumococcal. Your clinician may also review depression screening, tobacco cessation support, and fall risk. The exact plan depends on your history and preferences.
Is a chest X ray an acceptable lung cancer screening test
For eligible adults, the recommended test is a yearly low dose CT. Routine chest X rays are not recommended for lung cancer screening.
I keep getting stuck waiting for authorizations and faxes. Can someone coordinate this for me
Yes. Understood Care advocates can contact your ordering clinician, confirm the facility received the order, obtain needed authorizations, do a three way call, and schedule the earliest available appointment. See our transportation help page if a ride is the main barrier at https://understoodcare.com/care-types/transportation-help
Will Medicare cover these services at no cost
Many preventive services are covered with no out of pocket cost when your clinician accepts assignment and when the service is billed as preventive. If a test becomes diagnostic or if additional procedures are done, you may have costs. Ask the office how your visit will be billed and review Medicare’s preventive services list.
How can I make preventive care easier if I have mobility or transportation challenges
Ask an Understood Care advocate to coordinate the order, authorizations, and scheduling. We can also book paratransit or rides and share tips for getting to and from the appointment safely. Explore https://understoodcare.com/care-types/mobility-equipment and https://understoodcare.com/care-types/transportation-help
References
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. A and B Recommendations. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Breast Cancer Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/breast-cancer-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Colorectal Cancer Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Prostate Cancer Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/prostate-cancer-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Lung Cancer Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/lung-cancer-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/osteoporosis-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Hypertension in Adults Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/hypertension-in-adults-screening
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/screening-for-prediabetes-and-type-2-diabetes
- United States Preventive Services Task Force. Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/statin-use-in-adults-preventive-medication
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Immunization Schedules for Adults. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shingles Vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/vaccines/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations. https://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/hcp/vaccine-recommendations/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Falls in Older Adults. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
- Medicare. Preventive and Screening Services. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services
- Medicare. Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/welcome-to-medicare-preventive-visit
- Medicare. Yearly Wellness Visits. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/yearly-wellness-visits
- MedlinePlus. Preventive Health Care. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001921.htm
- Cleveland Clinic. Prophylaxis and Preventive Care. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/prophylaxis-preventive-care
This content is educational and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.
Deborah Hall
- About: Deborah Hall’s primary specialty is other healthcare benefits access. She helps people apply for coverage, clears questions, and connects them to programs fast.
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