All Medicare beneficiaries can now receive a free Annual Wellness Visit which will allow them to work with a health care provider to develop and update a personalized wellness and disease prevention plan. The Annual Wellness Visit does not replace an annual physical examination, but it is a valuable benefit.

At the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), the individual and his or her provider will:

• Review medical and family history, including illnesses, surgeries, injuries and treatments
• Review daily functional abilities and personal safety – i.e. walking, toileting, vision, hearing, risk of falling
• Take routine measurements – i.e. weight, blood pressure, body mass index
• Assess mental and cognitive health - i.e. depression or dementia
• List current health care providers, suppliers and medications – to look for conflicting treatment plans
• Establish a 5-10 year written schedule for prevention or diagnostic screenings
• Discuss personalized health recommendations and the possible need for other services, both medical and community-based, aimed improving lifestyle to reduce health risks and promote disease self-management and wellness.

There are a few things to keep in mind when scheduling an Annual Wellness Visit.

• First of all, the visit is free, with no cost-share or deductible. Some health care providers may not yet be completely familiar with the Annual Wellness Visit and what Medicare will pay for. Tell the provider that you wish to schedule an Annual Wellness Visit and confirm that there will be no cost-share for it. Although most preventative services are now free under Medicare, some services recommended at the Annual Wellness Visit may come with out-of-pocket costs. The provider should discuss these costs with the patient before treatment.

• Second, any licensed non-physician practitioner, including Physician’s Assistant and Nurse Practitioner, Registered Dietitian among others, can provide the AWV, as long as there is a doctor available in the office to step in if consultation is required.

• Third, make the most of the Annual Wellness Visit and bring along medical records, a medication list, and a health care provider list.

• Fourth, the Annual Wellness Visit is different from the “Welcome to Medicare” exam, available to all new Medicare Part B beneficiaries. The Welcome exam is a one-time-only preventative examination given within the first 12 months of receiving Part B benefits. The first Annual Wellness Visit can be scheduled any time after 12 months of Part B eligibility or at least one year after the Welcome exam. Neither the Welcome exam nor the Annual Wellness Visit replaces annual physical check-ups.

The following link provides additional information about the Annual Wellness Visit:

Families USA, Medicare’s New Preventative Benefit: What It Means for You (March 2011) at: http://familiesusa2.org/assets/pdfs/health-reform/Consumer-Guide-Medicare-Wellness-Visit.pdf

Did you find what you were looking for? Please take our survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3ZFWLQF.