Dear Douglas,
 
The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a yearly appointment with your primary care provider (PCP) to create or update a personalized prevention plan. This plan may help prevent illness based on your current health and risk factors. Keep in mind that the AWV is not a head-to-toe physical. Also, this service is similar to but separate from the one-time Welcome to Medicare preventive visit.
 
During your first Annual Wellness Visit, your PCP will develop your personalized prevention plan. Your PCP may also:

• Check your height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements
• Give you a health risk assessment
• Review your functional ability and level of safety
• Learn about your medical and family history
• Make a list of your current providers, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, and medications
• Create a written 5-10 year screening schedule or check-list
• Screen for cognitive impairment, including diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia
• Screen for depression
• Provide health advice and referrals to health education and/or preventive counseling services aimed at reducing identified risk factors and promoting wellness

 
AWVs after your first visit may be different. At subsequent AWVs, your doctor should:

• Check your weight and blood pressure
• Update the health risk assessment you completed
• Update your medical and family history
• Update your list of current medical providers and suppliers
• Update your written screening schedule
• Screen for cognitive issues
• Provide health advice and referrals to health education and/or preventive counseling services

 
Original Medicare covers the Annual Wellness Visit at 100% of the Medicare-approved amount when you receive the service from a participating provider. This means you pay nothing (no deductible or coinsurance). Medicare Advantage Plans are required to cover AWVs without applying deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance when you see an in-network provider and meet Medicare’s requirements for the service.

Contact your healthcare provider if you want to schedule your Annual Wellness Visit!
 
-Marci

Q&A courtesy of Interactive's Dear Marci, a free e-newsletter from the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. For more free answers to your Medicare questions, visit Medicare Interactive (MI) at www.medicareinteractive.org. Subscribe to Dear Marci by registering for your free account on Medicare Interactive. 

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