A day that feels steady and uninterrupted. The kind where you have the energy and focus to work, spend time with family, keep your routines and do the things that matter to you.
Preventive care can help protect moments like these. By design, this care helps spot potential issues early, when they’re easier to manage and less likely to interrupt your life.
Preventive care includes annual physical exams, age-appropriate screenings (such as blood pressure, cholesterol and cancer screenings), routine lab work, and vaccines that help prevent illness.
While screenings and regular checkups can help identify risks early for conditions like diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cancers of the breast, colon, cervix and prostate, not every condition has a routine screening. For those — including pancreatic, kidney, uterine and brain cancers — regular exams that help establish your personal baseline (what’s normal for you) can alert your provider to early warning signs. That baseline is key to spotting changes sooner, when care is simpler and less disruptive.
Preventive care also reinforces healthy lifestyle choices — such as eating nutritious food, getting regular movement, and avoiding tobacco — that play a critical role in long-term health and well-being.
Whether you’re building a foundation for long-term health or continuing routines you’ve already put in place, staying consistent is key. Your UC PPO plan covers preventive care at no cost to you, removing any financial barriers and making it easier to take advantage of prevention to empower and protect your energy, routines and independence.
Learn about recommended screenings
WATCH Protect The Moments That Matter for an overview of recommended screenings based on age.
Preventive vs. diagnostic care
Preventive care helps catch issues early and even prevent them altogether.
Diagnostic care is used when you have symptoms and your doctor needs to determine what’s wrong. The same tests may be used, but diagnostic care is covered according to your plan’s benefits and may include a deductible and/or copay or coinsurance.
Tips for taking care of your health now to protect what comes next
Primary care provider
Think of your primary care provider (PCP) as a long-term partner in health — someone who knows your history, what’s normal for you and how to help you stay ahead of health issues. That ongoing relationship supports more personalized care and helps reduce stress, cost, worry and disruptions to your life.
PCPs include family and internal medicine providers, pediatricians (for infants, children and teens), OB-GYNs for women’s reproductive healthcare, and geriatricians for older adults. A PCP may be a doctor (MD or DO), physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP).
Your PCP specializes in preventive care — checkups, screenings and vaccines — and provides care when you’re sick or injured. This approach helps maintain your well-being and prevent future health issues.
Choose a PCP you like
Finding a provider you feel comfortable with can be challenging. If you’re still searching for the right provider, Accolade can help. Log in to the Accolade member portal or call (866) 406-1182.
Habits that support your life
Small actions you take today — like following treatment plans, keeping up with recommended screenings and medications, and using telehealth when it fits your schedule — help protect the energy, routines and independence you want tomorrow.
Make the appointment
It’s easy to put off care. Maybe you’re worried about what you might find. Or life just feels too busy. Making time for preventive care now can help protect your energy, routines and peace of mind, so life stays fuller, easier and less interrupted.
If it’s been a year or more since your last preventive care or wellness visit, schedule an appointment with your PCP or explore virtual care options. Think of it as a gift to future you.