Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Regular health check-ups are one of the most important ways to guard or improve your health. Preventive care includes routine well exams, screenings and immunizations. Medicare covers many preventive services at no cost, including the Annual Wellness Visit.
What is an Annual Wellness Visit?
An annual wellness visit is covered by Medicare to review your current condition, prevent new medical problems and provide advice to help you stay as healthy as possible. We suggest scheduling this visit in your primary care physician’s (PCP) office, so that all of your medical records are available to help organize your preventive care.
At your visit you can expect:
- Screening and risk assessment in the office to detect possible new problems
- A schedule for recommended testing like mammograms and colonoscopies
- Discussion about your medical problems and which specialists you see for them
- A search for signs of memory loss or dementia
- A review of your height, weight and blood pressure
How is an Annual Wellness Visit different than an Annual Physical Exam?
The focus of the Annual Wellness Visit is to review your health risks and preventive care to make sure that you have a plan in place to keep you as healthy as possible. The annual wellness visit does not include a physical exam or lab work. Additional evaluation of new or chronic medical conditions may incur additional cost.
How do I know which exam is right for me?
Traditional Medicare covers the annual wellness visit but not the annual physical exam. Medicare Advantage plans cover both. Many of our patients choose to have their annual wellness exam combined with a follow-up visit (standard copay) so that the visit is even more comprehensive. Ask your PCP or team member which schedule of visits is right for you.
To better understand your specific preventive benefits, refer to your Medicare Advantage plan or visit Medicare.gov.
