Annual Medical Review
An annual medical review is a comprehensive health assessment that involves:
- Extensive history from you and your caregivers of each body part paying particular attention to areas which trouble you
- A top-to-toe assessment which includes examination of your:
- Skin
- Heart
- Lungs
- Gastrointestinal
- Ears, nose and throat
- Vision
- Genitourinary/reproductive health
- Feet
- Vascular
- Endocrine (eg. Thyroid)
- Neurological (including review of epilepsy and spasticity
- Mental health
- Measurement of your:
- blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturations, respiratory rate, blood sugar level, temperature, weight, height, urinalysis
- A review of your medication
- Preventative health such as screening for osteoporosis, prostate and cervical screening, bowel cancer screening, breast check and mammography referral and metabolic syndrome (obesity)
- Consideration of genetic or metabolic screening if there is no known cause of your intellectual disability known
- Requests for annual blood tests which might include
- A blood count, liver/kidney function, vitamins, cholesterol, sugar
This assessment is claimed through Medicare and repeated every 12 months. Be prepared … it takes a while! On average these assessments take 30-60 minutes. The evidence shows than an annual assessment leads to early intervention of medical conditions that would have otherwise gone undiagnosed. This is an integral part of reducing the gap in life expectancy for people with a disability.