At this time, one of the most common complaints that we hear is about the way we bill a person who presents for a "Wellness" Visit. Our patients are under the impression that they get a free office visit with this benefit and are often upset when this is not the case. Your Wellness benefit pays for an office visit once a year as well as LIMITED lab work and testing that is based upon your sex and age. Wellness benefits do not take into account ANY medical illnesses. If you have medical problems and these problems need to be monitored, then Wellness often does not cover the cost of monitoring these problems. So if you have medical problems such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or thyroid disease, then your Wellness benefits will not pay for lab work associated with monitoring these problems and thus you may receive a bill for those services. Also, your provider must know if this is a Wellness exam prior to the visit. Please inform the receptionist and the nurse prior to the provider seeing you. The provider cannot change the visit to a "Wellness Visit" after he or she has seen you for other medical problems. Please refer to the information given to you by your employer about your insurance benefits if you have any questions regarding this.