Annual Appointments to Schedule: Checklist and Month to Book

Annual Appointments to Schedule: A Checklist With the Month to Book Each

The annual appointments most adults need to schedule are a yearly checkup, the dentist, an eye exam, a flu shot, and for many people a screening like a mammogram. Add the kids' checkups, the car service and tax prep, and you have about ten bookings a year. Give each one a fixed month and book the next one before you leave.

Most lists of annual appointments are short personal posts with five items and no dates. This one is longer, with how often each is usually due, where that comes from, and a month that tends to work for booking it.

What appointments should you schedule every year?

Here is the full list, with how often each is due. Health intervals depend on your age, history and doctor, so treat this as a starting point and confirm at the visit.

Appointment	How often	Where that comes from	Good month to book
Yearly checkup or wellness visit	Once a year	Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit once every 12 months	Your birthday month
Kids' well-child visit	Every year from age 3	AAP schedule of well-child visits	Spring, for a summer visit
Dental checkup and cleaning	Once or twice a year for many people	American Dental Association: your dentist sets the interval	January and July
Eye exam, adults 18 to 64	At least every two years, yearly if at risk	American Optometric Association	Any quiet month, same each year
Eye exam, 65 and older	Every year	American Optometric Association	Same month each year
Eye exam, school-age kids	Before first grade, then yearly	American Optometric Association	Early summer
Flu shot	Every fall	Offered at most pharmacies each season	September or October
Mammogram, women 40 to 74	Every two years	US Preventive Services Task Force	Same month every other year
Other screenings and specialists	As your doctor advises	Your doctor	Ask at the checkup
Vet checkup for pets	As your vet advises	Your vet	Same month each year
Car service	By the owner's manual, time or miles	The manual	When the manual says
Tax prep appointment	Once a year	Your tax preparer	Book in January

How often do adults need a physical?

Many adults see their doctor for a checkup once a year, and it is a good anchor for everything else on this list. If you have Medicare, it covers a yearly wellness visit once every 12 months. Other plans have their own rules for preventive visits, so check yours. Use the checkup to ask what screenings are due this year, and add them to your list.

How often should you go to the dentist?

There is no single answer. The American Dental Association's consumer site says some people need to visit once or twice a year and others need more. Your dentist sets the interval based on your teeth and history. If it is twice a year, January and July are easy to remember and avoid the school holiday rush.

How often do you need an eye exam?

The American Optometric Association recommends an exam at least every two years for adults 18 to 64 with low risk, and at least once a year for those at risk, for example people who wear contact lenses, have a family history of eye disease or have a health condition that can affect the eyes. Adults 65 and older should have one every year. For children, it recommends an exam before first grade and every year after that.

Book kids' eye exams in early summer. Offices fill up in August, and a problem found in June can be fixed before school starts.

When should kids have their checkups?

The American Academy of Pediatrics schedule lists a well-child visit every year from age 3 through the teen years. Many families book it in spring for a summer visit, before the back-to-school rush. If your child plays a school sport, ask whether the office can complete the sports physical form at the same visit.

When should you get a flu shot?

Once a year, in the fall. Pharmacies and doctors' offices usually start offering it in late summer, and most people get it in September or October so they are covered before winter. Recommendations can change from season to season, so ask your doctor or pharmacist what is advised this year, especially for young children, pregnant people and adults over 65.

How do you remember to book annual appointments?

The best trick is the simplest one: book the next appointment before you leave the current one. Many offices will book you months ahead. If they cannot, ask them to send you a reminder, and set your own for a month before.

Three more habits help:

give each appointment a fixed month, so the plan does not change every year;
spread them out, one or two a month, so January is not a wall of phone calls;
write down the date of the last visit, not just the next one, because the next one is counted from it.

Keeping the dates without a spreadsheet

You need one fact per appointment: when it was last done. dEssence can keep those for you. Tell Tracy in your own words, "the kids had eye exams on June 14, remind me a month before next year's", or send a photo of the appointment card. She keeps the date and messages you first when it is time to book.

Tracy does not book appointments or connect to doctor portals. You make the call; she makes sure you remember to.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important annual appointment?

For most adults, the yearly checkup, because your doctor tells you which other screenings are due. For kids, the yearly well-child visit.

Does insurance cover an annual physical?

Many plans cover a yearly preventive visit, and Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit once every 12 months. Check your own plan for the details.

How many appointments should a family book each year?

For a family of four, often ten or more: checkups, dentist, eye exams and flu shots for each person, plus the car, pets and taxes.

Should I book all annual appointments in January?

It is easier to spread them out. One or two a month keeps each booking quick, and you are not making ten calls in the same week.