Preventive Guidelines Printer Friendly

What is Your Plan for Better Health?

Make this year your best year for wellness. Your health benefit plan may help pay for tests to find disease early and routine wellness exams to help you and your family stay well. Talk with your doctor (health care provider) about the care that is right for you.

Your plan may not pay for all services and treatments in this guide. To learn more about what your plan pays for, see your certificate of coverage or call the customer service number on your health ID card.

Baby and Child Screenings

Well-baby exam — birth to 2 years*: Infants who leave the hospital less than two days (48 hours) after birth need to be seen by a doctor within two to four days after being born. Also, you might want to talk to a doctor before your baby is born. You might talk to the doctor if you are a first-time parent, are having a high-risk pregnancy, or want to learn about feeding, circumcision or well-baby care. At the well-baby exam you may get advice on your child’s safety, health, healthy eating and development. At these exams, your baby may get vaccines and these screenings:

Age (in months)
Screenings Birth 1 2 4 6 9 12 15 18 24
Hearing as a new born and when your doctor suggest
Weight, length and head circumference (the length around the head)  at each visit
Hemoglobin or hematocrit (blood count)           once between 9 and 12      
Lead testing unless you are sure the child has not been around lead             at 12     at 24
Development and behavior at each visit
Oral/dental health         at 6 at 9 at 12   at 18 at 24
Autism                 at 18 at 24

Well-child exam — ages 21/2 to 10 years*: You may get advice about how to keep your child safe, how to prevent injuries, good health, healthy eating and development. At ages 3 and 6, a referral to a dentist may be suggested. At these well-child exams, your child may get vaccines and these screenings:

Age (in years)
Screenings 21/2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Blood pressure   each year starting at 3 years
Vision  each year
Hearing  each year
Height, weight, body mass index (BMI)**  each year
Development and behavior at each visit
Oral/dental health at 21/2                

Well Child exam - Ages 11 to 18 years*: The doctor may talk to you about health and wellness issues. These include healthy eating, exercise, healthy weight, how to prevent injuries, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs, sexual behavior, dental health, mental health and secondhand smoke. At these exams, your child may get vaccines and these screenings:

Age (in years)
Screenings 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Blood pressure each year
Vision  each year
Hearing  each year
Height, weight, BMI**  each year
Chlamydia for sexually active women aged 25 and younger
Development and behavior each year

Adult Screenings - Women*

Well-person exam: The doctor may talk with you about health and wellness issues. These include healthy eating, exercise, family planning for ages 19-39 and folic acid for women who are of the age to get pregnant, how to prevent injuries, misuse of drugs and alcohol, how to stop using tobacco, secondhand smoke, sexual behavior, dental health and mental health. At this visit, you may get vaccines and these screenings:

Age (in years)
Screenings 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 and older
Blood pressure each year or as your doctor suggests
Height, weight each year or as your doctor suggests
BMI each year or as your doctor suggests
Cholesterol every 5 years starting at age 20 with more screenings as your doctor suggests
Colorectal cancer                 at age 50, your doctor may suggest one of these test options:
  1. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) each year
  2. Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
  3. Both #1 and #2
  4. Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
  5. Colonoscopy every 10 years
  6. CT colonography may take the place of a colonoscopy in some cases
Hearing                     when doctor suggests
Breast cancer: self-exam each month from 19+ to 65+
Breast cancer: doctor-exam every 2 to 3 years each year from age 40 to 65+
Breast cancer: mammogram           each year from age 40 to 65+
Cervical cancer: ages 19-29 each year starting within 3 years of sexual activity or age 21 (whichever comes first)                
Cervical cancer: ages 30-69       every 2 to 3 years for women with 3 normal Pap tests in a row
Cervical cancer: ages 70+                     with 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap tests in the last 10 years, women may stop having this screening
Chlamydia sexually active women aged 25 and younger                
Osteoporosis               the test to check how dense your bones are should start no later than age 65; women at menopause should talk to their doctor about osteoporosis and have the test when at risk

Pregnant Women*

Pregnant women should see their doctor or OB/GYN in their first three months for a first visit and to set up a prenatal care plan. At this visit your doctor will check your health and the health of your baby.

Based on your past health, your doctor may want you to have these tests, screenings or vaccines:

  • Hematocrit/hemoglobin (blood count)
  • Syphilis
  • HIV
  • Rubella immunity - to find out which women need the rubella vaccine after giving birth
  • Rh(D) blood type and antibody testing - if Rh(D) negative, repeat test at 26 to 28 weeks
  • Hepatitis B
  • Urinalysis - when your doctor wants it

The doctor may talk to you about what to eat and how to be active when pregnant as well as staying away from tobacco, drugs, alcohol and other substances.

Other tests and screenings:

Some tests given alone or with other tests can be used to check the baby for health concerns. These tests are done at certain times while you are pregnant. The best test to use and the best time to do it depends on many things. These include your age as well as your medical and family history. Talk to your doctor about what these tests can tell you about your baby, the risks of the tests and which tests may be best for you.

  • Special blood tests
  • Ultrasound tests including special tests (used with blood tests during the first three months for chromosomal abnormality risk) and routine two-dimensional tests to check on the baby
  • Amniocentesis
  • Chorionic villus sampling

Vaccines:

If you are pregnant in flu season (October to March) your doctor may want you to have the inactivated flu vaccine. You may need the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine if you have not had it before. While other vaccines may be given in special cases, it is best to get the vaccines you need before you get pregnant. Women should always check with their doctor about their own needs.

You should NOT get these vaccines while you are pregnant:

  • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
  • Varicella

Adult Screenings - men*

Well-person exam: The doctor may talk with you about health and wellness issues. These include healthy eating, exercise, family planning for ages 19-39, how to prevent injuries, misuse of drugs and alcohol, how to stop using tobacco, secondhand smoke, sexual behavior, dental health and mental health. At this visit, you may get vaccines and these screenings:

Age (in years)
Screenings 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 and older
Blood pressure each year or as your doctor suggests
Height, weight each year or as your doctor suggests
BMI each year or as your doctor suggests
Cholesterol   every 5 years starting at age 20 with more screenings as your doctor suggests
Colorectal cancer               at age 50, your doctor may suggest one of these test options:
  1. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) each year
  2. Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
  3. Both #1 and #2
  4. Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
  5. Colonoscopy every 10 years
  6. CT colonography may take the place of a colonoscopy in some cases
Prostate cancer               if you are 50 or older, discuss with your doctor the risks and benefits of the prostate cancer tests
Abdominal aortic aneurysm                     one time for ages 65-75 for those who have ever smoked
Hearing                     when doctor suggests

Suggested vaccine schedule1


Age
Vaccine Birth 1-2
mo.
2
mo.
4
mo.
6
mo.
6-18
mo.
12-15
mo.
15-18
mo.
19-23
months
4-6
yrs.
11-12
yrs.
13-18
yrs.
19-49
yrs.
50-64
yrs.
65+
yrs.
Hepatitis B       see note                      
Rotavirus (RV)      2-dose or 3-dose series2                    
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP)                              
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Td/Tdap)                     Tdap    Td booster every 10 years
Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)    3-dose or 4-dose series3                
Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV)                              
Inactivated polio virus (IPV)                              
Influenza (flu)         suggested each year from 6 months to 65+ years of age
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)                              
Varicella (chicken pox)                              
Hepatitis A              2-dose series            
Human papillomavirus (HPV)                      3-dose series        
Meningococcal (MCV4)                              
Pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV)                          suggested for smokers and asthmatics4   1 lifetime dose
Zoster                            1 single dose for ages 60+
() Indicates when immunizations are recommended (1) Get this vaccine at this age, only if the combination vaccine is used after the birth dose. (2) Rotavirus – 2-dose or 3-dose series; depends on brand of vaccine used (3) Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) - 3-dose or 4-dose series; depends on brand of vaccine used (4) Pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV) for smokers and asthmatics – give 1 dose if never got the vaccine or if don’t know vaccine history.

Tdap (teens) - If you are 13 to 18 years of age and have not had this vaccine before, talk to your doctor about a catch-up vaccine.

Td (adults) - Adults should have one dose of Tdap.

Flu - Refer to www.flu.gov or www.cdc.gov learn more about this vaccine. (Note: Children 6 months to 8 years of age having the vaccine for the first time should have two doses.)

Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and Varicella - If you are 19 years of age or older and you have no proof you had these vaccines and you have never had these illnesses, then you should get these vaccines.

HPV - This vaccine is for girls 11 to 12 years of age, but it may be given as early as 9 years of age. Girls and women aged 13 through 26 who have not had the vaccine, should talk to their doctor about a catch-up vaccine. HPV may be given to males aged 9 through 26 years to lessen their chance of getting genital warts.

Meningococcal vaccine - Two doses of this vaccine are given. The first dose at 11 or 12 years of age and the next dose at 16.

Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) – The suggested vaccine has changed. Children 14 to 59 months who had all of the PCV vaccine series, may need an extra vaccine shot at their next visit. (Children 14 to 59 months who had all of the PCV vaccine series with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) should get 1 more dose of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) at their next visit.)

For additional information on immunizations, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website at www.cdc.gov.

* This guide is for people with average risk. Some people may be at higher risk for health issues due to their family health history, their race or ethnicity, or other reasons. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your health.

** Height and weight is used to find BMI. BMI for children is based on gender and age. It is used to see if a person is underweight, overweight or at risk for overweight. BMI for adults is used to see if a person is overweight or obese.

Preventive Health Guidelines as of April 2011. This document is updated annually.