Realizing your goals doesn’t just happen; it takes time. Building up your retirement account, saving for your kid’s college fund—you patiently invest over the years, meeting regularly with someone you trust, like a financial advisor, to check your progress and make sure you’re on track. 

What if you invested in your health the same way? Who is your trusted advisor to help you meet your goals?

With your primary care provider, you’re building a relationship through regular check-ups and screenings that will pay off in your future health.

What does primary care do?

“Primary care is about preventive medicine. We want to be ahead of what’s coming,” explains Christine Stahl, APRN-CNP, a family nurse practitioner. To do that, primary care providers look at you as a whole person and help you invest in the right areas of your health for a long-term pay off.

With regular checkpoints and screenings, primary care providers might suggest small changes that lead to better health outcomes.

“We’re going to meet you where you’re at and move forward to carve out a better future,” Christine says. “We’re going to do things that are integrated into our daily living that are sustainable, that are maintainable.” Your primary care provider will help you find small changes that create a bigger impact over time.

What if I feel okay most of the time?

With so many options for finding care, maybe you’ve gone to a walk-in clinic or urgent care to take care of a UTI. The prescription clears it up, and you don’t think about it—until it happens again. While the walk-in clinic will help you in the moment and back to feeling OK, a primary care provider will see that you’ve had recurring infections, and that something larger needs to be addressed.

“I can pick up on trends and see if there’s a big-picture problem going on,” says Christine.

Similarly, your 40s and 50s are when annual screenings should start for chronic diseases and cancers, also a time when these conditions are more likely to start. But when caught early at this age, they’re often treatable, resulting in better outcomes. Some of these screenings may even need to happen ahead of the age recommendations due to your risk factors.

“I hear a lot of times, ‘Well, I’m fine. I don’t have anything,’” Christine explains. “When we start pulling threads or we start talking about your family history, there may be something that puts you at a higher risk that we identify.”

Should something concerning come back from a screening, your primary care provider can act as a central coordinator in your care and a connection to trustworthy resources.

What if I’m too busy?

“I know you have a lot of things on your plate. I know your kids are getting older. I know your parents are getting older. I know your work is very demanding,” says Dr. Allyson Halderman, a primary care physician board-certified in family medicine.

In our busy lives, we’ll still make time for relationships that matter the most. Your primary care provider might not be your best friend, but they’re here to support you and your health so you don’t have to do it alone. This is a relationship worth making time for. 

“I think having a primary care doctor is an epic way of having a relationship with someone who can help coach you. You wouldn’t expect to be an elite athlete without a coach. You wouldn’t expect to do your job without a boss,” says Dr. Halderman. “You wouldn’t expect to do many of these things without someone to help you or to have a team around you. And that’s who a primary care provider is.”

Look at your annual wellness check, then, not as another task on your never-ending to-do list. But as a chance to meet with a trusted advisor focused on your best health.

“My goal is that you don’t need any medications and that we can get you into a healthy lifestyle that prevents the need for medications and promotes lifelong wellness,” says Dr. Halderman.

What do I do next?

Like adding to a slow-growing investment, each annual visit, every bloodwork and screening, even the conversations you have with your primary care provider—they’re all investments into a healthier future.

“The best way to treat a heart attack is to not have one. That’s what we can prevent in your 40s and 50s,” sums Dr. Halderman.

If you feel ready to start that investment, one that could pay off in a healthier future, what’s next?

It’s a small step: make an appointment with a primary care provider.