Medicare Annual Wellness Visits
Those with Medicare Part B are eligible for an Annual Wellness Visit once every 12 months. This visit is free when it occurs at least 12 months after you received a Medicare Initial Preventative Physical Exam with your provider, or when you have been covered by Medicare Part B for more than 12 months.
During your Annual Wellness Visit you will receive a comprehensive preventative visit with a trained Medicare Wellness Nurse. The nurse will work with you to develop or update a personalized prevention plan based on your current health and risk factors. Your medical record will also be updated to assist your provider in providing you the best care possible.
To schedule your Annual Wellness Visit, please contact your provider’s office by phone or MyChart message.
Purpose:
To develop or update a personalized prevention plan based on your current health and risk factors and offering the following services:
- Review of your health history
- Routine measurements such as vital signs, height, weight and BMI
- Discuss the care you are receiving from other providers
- Review your medications (bring all prescribed and over-the-counter medications, herbals, and nutrition supplements to this visit)
- Establish a care plan
- Review the latest Medicare prevention guidelines and receive a written schedule of recommended screenings and preventative services for the next 5-10 years
- Discuss Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives
- Receive advice related to your current diagnoses, risk factors and recommended lifestyle interventions
If you have an active problem that requires an examination by a provider during an Annual Wellness Visit, you may be subject to a co-pay for the problem focused exam per Medicare guidelines. Medications are not refilled or prescribed in this exam.
To make the most of your visit, please do the following:
- Insurance: Bring your latest insurance card. Call your insurance company before your visit to learn about your benefits and to make sure your primary care provider’s information is up to date.
- Medicine: Make an up-to-date list of your medicines, supplements (vitamins, herbs), and medical supplies. Write down the name of the medicines, dose, and how often you take them. If you are not certain, bring your medicines with you to your visit.
- Health Info: We will ask you about your family’s (parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, children) health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. and when they began. Please be prepared to answer questions about your family’s health history and bring a list of your past surgeries including the dates of the surgeries.
- Vaccines & Tests: It might be time for a specific vaccine or test such as the flu shot or colon cancer screening. Please write down and make a list of the vaccines and test you would like to have and any questions and concerns you may have.
- Advance Care Planning: Advance care planning gives all adults the chance to plan and write down their health care choices if a sudden accident or sickness occurs. To help prepare for this talk, please visit www.ECUHealth.org/AdvanceCare to download a toolkit. If you have an Advance Directive that is not in your ECU Health Record, please bring a copy to your visit.
