Common questions about Medicare annual wellness visits
If you are a Medicare recipient, you can take advantage of annual wellness visits. These visits are a preventive health benefit available after having Medicare Part B coverage for at least one year. All Medicare Advantage Plans are required to offer annual wellness visits for their members. A nurse or nurse practitioner reviews your health status and helps you plan for health and wellness needs.
In most cases, the annual wellness visit will be followed by a separate medical visit with your primary care professional to close any health care gaps and address any problems identified during the visit.
Why are annual wellness visits important?
The annual wellness visit allows you to review your health history and identify any current or potential health risks with a health care professional. The visit enables the nurse to focus on prevention and wellness while making sure you are current on recommended immunizations and health screenings like colonoscopies or mammograms. It also allows your primary care professional more time to focus on your medical concerns and needs at a separate physical exam.
Do I need to be 65 or older to have an annual wellness visit?
You do not need to be 65 or older to qualify for an annual wellness visit as long as you’ve been on Medicare Part B for at least one year.
How is an annual wellness visit scheduled?
If you are due for an annual wellness visit, you may be prompted to self-schedule the visit in the patient portal. You also may call your care team and ask to be scheduled.
If your visit is with a nurse or nurse practitioner, it’s recommended to schedule this visit before the visit with your primary care professional. This allows your primary care professional the chance to address any concerns mentioned during your annual wellness visit.
How can I prepare for my annual wellness visit?
You may be asked to complete some questionnaires before arriving for your appointment, which will be sent to your patient portal account. If you cannot access the questionnaires before the appointment, plan to arrive at your appointment early to complete them.
It’s helpful to come prepared to your visit with this information:
- All medications, vitamins and supplements you take, including how much and how often you take them
- Additional medical records, including immunization records
- Dates of your most recent preventive services, like a colonoscopy or mammogram, if completed by another health care facility
- Family health history, with as much detail as possible
- List of medical providers and suppliers who provide you care, equipment or services
What can you expect during an annual wellness visit?
During the visit, you’ll meet with a nurse or nurse practitioner to:
- Evaluate your fall risk
- Measure your height, weight and blood pressure
- Offer referrals to other health education or preventive services
- Provide information related to voluntary advance care planning
- Screen for cognitive impairments like dementia
- Screen for depression
- Update your medical and family history
What is the cost of an annual wellness visit?
Medicare offers the visit at no cost for people who have Medicare Part B coverage for at least one year before the visit. If you are referred for other tests or services, they will be billed to your insurance. If you have a separate visit with your primary care professional following your annual wellness visit, you or your insurance carrier will be responsible for the cost of that visit.
What is the difference between a physical exam and a Medicare Wellness Visit?
The difference between a physical exam and a Medicare Wellness Visit is basically the difference between your doctor focusing on what’s wrong versus on what’s right. Each is important, depending on the situation.
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When you’re sick or in pain, you want to get better. A physical exam helps your doctor figure out what the problem is and what needs to be done.
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When you’re healthy and feeling good, you want to stay that way. A wellness exam helps your doctor understand what’s working for you and how to best support your continued health and well-being.
Your doctor performs specific tasks in each of these two exams in order to achieve its purpose. See below for a chart that lists some of the services that may be covered in a physical exam versus a Medicare wellness visit, or that may be covered in both.
| Physical Exam | Medicare Wellness Visit |
|---|---|
| Review your medical and family history | Review your medical and family history |
| Take routine measurements such as for height, weight & blood pressure | Take routine measurements such as for height, weight & blood pressure |
| Assess risk factors for preventable diseases | Create or update a list of medical providers and prescription drugs |
| Perform lung, head and neck, abdominal and neurological exams | Make a schedule for preventative screenings |
| Check reflexes and vital signs | Test for cognitive wellness |
| Take urine and blood samples and submit for lab testing | Offer personalized health advice |
What’s included in a physical exam?
An annual physical exam is an assessment of your body’s health. The primary purpose is to look for health problems.
During the exam, your doctor uses his or her senses – mainly sight, touch and hearing – to gauge how your body is performing. Based on what’s learned, your doctor may ask you to have tests to discover or rule out possible health problems.
The list below shows some of the things your doctor may do during a physical exam.
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Visually check your body overall for signs of existing health issues
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Look into your eyes, ears, nose and throat for potential problems
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Listen to your heart and lungs to detect irregular sounds
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Touch parts of your body to feel for abnormalities
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Test your motor function and reflexes
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Perform pelvic and rectal exams
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Measure your height, weight and blood pressure
As a rule, Medicare does not cover an annual physical. The exam and any tests your doctor orders are separate services, and you may have costs related to each depending on your Medicare plan.
What’s included in a Medicare Wellness Visit?
A Medicare Wellness Visit, also called a wellness exam, is an assessment of your overall health and well-being. The primary purpose is prevention – either to develop or update your personalized prevention plan. Medicare covers a wellness visit once every 12 months (11 full months must have passed since your last visit), and you are eligible for this benefit after you have had Part B for at least 12 months.
During the exam, your primary care provider combines information from the visit with your medical record to gauge your risk for common preventable health problems such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Based on what’s learned, your doctor creates your personal prevention plan with a checklist of screenings you need to have.
The list below shows some of the things your doctor may do during a wellness exam.
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Review your health risk assessment (questions you answer about your health)
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Confirm your medical and family history
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Record your current prescriptions and providers
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Measure and document your height, weight, and blood pressure
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Look for signs of memory loss, dementia, or frailty
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Document your health risk factors and treatment options
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Provide personalized health advice
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Develop a screening schedule (like a checklist) for the preventive services recommended for you
Medicare Part B covers an annual wellness exam and many preventive screenings with no copay or deductible. However, you may have to pay a share of the cost for certain recommended tests or services. And while it’s not mandatory, there are very good reasons to have a wellness exam every year.
What is a “Welcome to Medicare” visit?
Medicare Part B covers a “Welcome to Medicare” visit. This visit is also called an Initial Preventive Physical Exam (IPPE). You are eligible for this benefit once within the first 12 months you are enrolled in Part B
What to expect at your “Welcome to Medicare” visit
During the visit your provider will:
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Record and evaluate your medical and family history, current health conditions and prescriptions.
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Check your blood pressure, vision, weight and height to get a baseline for your care.
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Make sure you are up-to-date with preventive screenings and services, such as cancer screenings and shots.
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Order further tests, depending on your general health and medical history.
You do not pay a copayment for your “Welcome to Medicare” visit. The Part B deductible does not apply to the cost of the visit either.
After the visit, your provider will give you a personalized prevention plan or checklist with the screenings and preventive services recommended for you. These services are not part of the “Welcome to Medicare” visit. You may have to pay a co-payment for the recommended services when you get them. Your Part B deductible may also apply.
Do you need a physical every year?
The medical community has questioned the value of physical exams in recent years, due in part to the potential for over-testing, false positive results and unnecessary costs. You need to decide if you want to get annual physical exams based on your health needs, coverage, and budget. However, it’s important to take advantage of your Medicare benefits and schedule a Medicare Wellness Visit every year.