The Periodic Health Examination: 1980
Authors: THOMAS L. DELBANCO
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1980)

Editorials1 February 1980The Periodic Health Examination: 1980THOMAS L. DELBANCO, M.D., WILLIAM C. TAYLOR, M.D.THOMAS L. DELBANCO, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, WILLIAM C. TAYLOR, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-92-2-251 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMost of us in practice believe that periodic health examinations are worth doing even for patients without stated complaints. We remember vividly the elderly gentleman whose asymptomatic rectal carcinoma we discovered and removed before metastases occurred. We recall the young woman whose atrial septal defect, first detected in our office, was repaired before pulmonary hypertension developed. But it is not only such early detection and successful outcome that seem to justify suggesting that patients who feel well visit our offices.As we examine our practices, we believe that patients profit from the periodic health examination much more often than the...References1. MCKEOWN T. Validation of screening procedures. In: MCKEOWN T, ed. Screening in Medical Care: Reviewing the Evidence. London: Oxford University Press; 1968; pp. 1-13. Google Scholar2. Screening for Disease. Series reprinted from Lancet. 1974;2(7884-7895). Google Scholar3. FRAMECARLSON PS. A critical review of periodic health screening using specific screening criteria. J Fam Pract. 1975;2:29-36, 123-9, 189-94, 283-9. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. BRESLOWSOMERS LA. The Lifetime Health-Monitoring Program: a practical approach to preventive medicine. N Engl J Med. 1977;296:601-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. FLETCHERSPITZER SW. Approach of the Canadian Task Force to the periodic health examination. Ann Intern Med. 1980;92:253-4. Editorial note. LinkGoogle Scholar6. SPITZER W Chairman: Report of the Task Force on the periodic health examination. Can Med Assoc J 1979;121:1193-1254. [Copies of the summary report of the Task Force that appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, as well as copies of a more extensive monograph and individual consultants' reports, may be obtained from Dr. Réal Préfontaine, Health Services Directorate, Health Services and Promotion Branch, Department of National Health and Welfare, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1B4, Canada.] MedlineGoogle Scholar7. LYLEAPPLEGATECITRONWILLIAMS CWDO. Practice habits in a group of eight internists. Ann Intern Med. 1976;84:594-601. LinkGoogle Scholar8. FRAME P. Periodic health screening in a rural private practice. J Fam Pract. 1979;9:57-64. MedlineGoogle Scholar9. SCHROEDER S. Technologic imperative: blame reimbursement system, not science. Internist. 1978;April:8-9. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. KOCHMCLEMORE HT. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 1975 Summary. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Government Printing Office; 1978:17. (DHEW Publication No. [PHS] 78-1784.) Google Scholar11. SCHROEDERSHOWSTACK SJ. Financial incentives to perform medical procedures and laboratory tests: illustrative models of office practice. Med Care. 1978;16:289-98. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. SHOWSTACKBLUMBERGSCHWARTZSCHROEDER JBJS. Fee-for-service physician payment: analysis of current methods and their development. Inquiry. 1979;16:230-46. MedlineGoogle Scholar13. DELBANCOMEYERSSEGAL TKE. Paying the physician's fee—Blue Shield and the reasonable charge. N Engl J Med. 1979;301:1314-20. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. DELBANCOMEYERS TK. Testimony in Hearings before the Sub-committee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, U. S. House of Representatives, 6 April 1978. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Government Printing Office; 1978:484-98. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Medicine Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Hospital Boston, Massachusetts PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byHealth Promotion and Disease Prevention in Older PeopleCancer Screening in the ElderlyPeriodic Health ExaminationRoutine total skin examination to detect malignant melanomaAre periodic school health examinations worthwhile?The Value of Annual Medical Examinations in the Nursing HomeThe Nisbet Symposium, 1980 Radiology in Health Screening: Screening Chest Radiography: Its Role in Modern MedicineReview Article : Implementing Preventive Care in Clinical PracticePREVENTION AND CONTROL OF OCCUPATIONAL LUNG DISEASEReview Article : Implementing Preventive Care in Clinical PracticeLooking for Early CancerWILLIAM C. TAYLOR, M.D., THOMAS L. DELBANCO, M.D.Approach of the Canadian Task Force to the Periodic Health ExaminationSUZANNE W. FLETCHER, M.D., WALTER O. SPITZER, M.D. 1 February 1980Volume 92, Issue 2_Part_1Page: 251-252KeywordsAtrial septal defectElderlyPulmonary hypertension ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 February 1980 PDF downloadLoading ...