Understanding Medicare's Annual Wellness Visits
The basis of this type of doctor's office visit is for preventive care, assessing and maintaining the health of the beneficiary. The purpose of this type of visit is not to diagnose or treat ailments, but to promote, plan, and assess health risks of the individual. These visits are not physical exams, and are available for Medicare Part B beneficiaries every twelve months. There is no cost associated with the wellness visit as long as the PCP accepts Medicare assignment and the beneficiary has coverage that does not have a Part B deductible attached. However, if the PCP performs additional testing outside of the scope of what is included in the wellness visit, there may be added costs associated with the visit.
Importance of Wellness Visits
- Prevention As Opposed To Cure: using this approach providers prioritize detection and prevention steps for potential health risks that could arise. Identification of risk factors and providing a personalized prevention plan are part of this portion of the visit.
- Holistic Health Assessment: By performing an full assessment of the beneficiaries health, screening for illnesses and addressing all aspects of their health the PCP will be able to provide a health baseline for the patient.
- Patient Oriented Care: PCP to patient communication and transparency are huge factors in annual wellness visits. It is viewed as a collaborative approach to the beneficiary's health.
- Cost Effectiveness: An underlying goal of these wellness visits is to limit potential expenses down the road that the individual and the insurance company would incure due to late detection and non-prevention of health risks.
The Five Components of The Wellness Visit
1. Health Risk Assessment
2. Personalized Prevention Plan
3. Health Education
4. Review of Medications
5. Referrals & Follow-Up Visits
Medicare's Annual Wellness visits are an extremely important part in keeping healthy as you age. Take advantage of this service that Medicare provides to beneficiaries to ensure a longer, happier, and healthy lifestyle.
