Medical dopers: here's a minor, probably pointless question about medical procedure

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Just got my yearly physical exam out of the way this morning (I’m fine, thanks for asking). But one very minor thing keeps nagging me. It sounded so minor that I actually didn’t bother ask my doctor about it. But for some reason I keep pondering it.

Anyway, as far back as I can remember having physical exams, the doctor(s) would of course always listen to my lungs with a stethoscope. You all know the drill - he/she holds a stethoscope up to various points on your back, you take a deep breath, etc.

Well, I recall that the standard procedure for many years would be for the doctor to press the stethoscope to my back in two descending columns - always starting on my right side, just under my shoulder blade, and work his/her way down the right side of my back, focusing on one lung cavity. Then, she/he would start over again on my left side, starting at a point just below my shoulderblade and working his way down the other side.

In the past several years, I have noticed that doctors don’t seem to do that anymore. (This includes a few trips to the ER, for sinus infections, and once for strep.) Nowadays, the doctor will usually start on the bottom left side, first pressing the stethoscope to my lower back, and work upwards, and in a counterclockwise fashion. More frequently, doctors also want to listen to the lungs from my front chest as well. This morning, my doctor even held the stethoscope up to my neck, which was a new one.

So, I keep wondering why the change? Is there a commonly accepted procedure to listening to the lungs that was changed in the past five years?, and if so, why Or is it merely the prerogative for the doctor in question to listen to the lungs in any way he/she sees fit?

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It doesn’t really matter in what order the lungs are assessed, but all 5 lobes must be checked.
Listening front and back is normal, but s/he was likely checking your heart and great vessels in the front.
As one ages it becomes more important to listen for unusual heart sonds There are several places on the front of the chest that gives better access to the different heart sounds.

The neck is to check for abnormal blood flow in the carotid arteries.
If there are plaques, the blood flow is turbulent, causing a distinctive sound. (useless information: the sound is called a bruit pronounced bru-we. If the turbulence is felt, it’s called a thrill.)