What Is a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
Learn what to expect during your no-cost Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and how it helps you stay healthy, independent, and proactive about your health.
By Mary Campagnolo, MD, MBA, Family Medicine Physician and Geriatrician, Virtua Medical Group, Medical Director of Value-Based Programs and Payer Contracts
Seeing your primary care physician is important when you’re sick. But what about when you’re feeling fine?
If you have Medicare Part B, you’re entitled to a no-cost Annual Wellness Visit. This visit offers an opportunity to meet with your primary care team to review your overall health, ensure you receive necessary screenings, and develop a plan to help you remain independent and strong.
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit vs. an annual physical
A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is not the same as an annual physical. A physical is a head-to-toe exam in which your primary care physician (PCP) performs your physical exam, reviews lab results, and orders appropriate screening tests to help identify and treat health issues.
The Annual Wellness Visit focuses on cognitive assessments, personalized health advice, and preventive planning so you can continue to age well and plan for future needs. Research has found that people who have these visits are less likely to be hospitalized and sustain fewer injuries.
What to expect at your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
The annual wellness visit may be performed by a population health nurse in consultation with your PCP. Your visit may include:
Health assessments
- Evaluation of your health status and risk factors for certain conditions. If this is your Welcome to Medicare or first Annual Wellness Visit, the assessment serves as a baseline to evaluate future changes in your health.
- Routine measurements such as your height, weight, and blood pressure.
- Review of your medical and family health history.
- Review of your medications and the specialists you're seeing.
- A vision screening and EKG (in a Welcome to Medicare Visit only).
- Checklist for appropriate preventive screenings, such as a mammogram, colonoscopy, or bone density scan.
Safety and prevention
- Assessment of your fall risk and discussion of home safety improvements.
- Screening for depression and referrals to additional resources if needed.
Social needs, lifestyle, and advanced care planning
- Assessment of your social needs and their impact on your treatment.
- Discussion of lifestyle changes that may improve your health.
- Discussion of future care preferences.
Cognitive health
- Cognitive assessment with Linus, an AI-powered digital tool that detects early signs of cognitive decline or memory loss. Linus finds subtle changes and enhances your PCP's ability to capture and compare results year to year. By identifying these changes as early as possible, your PCP can take steps to keep your brain functioning optimally.
Why schedule your Annual Wellness Visit
During most appointments, your PCP focuses on specific conditions and addresses any problems that may exist. An annual wellness visit gives your PCP or population health nurse extra time with you, so they can assess your overall health, learn about what’s going on in your life, and develop a preventive care plan that works best for you.
Schedule a Medicare Annual Wellness visit at your Virtua Primary Care Practice
Virtua Primary Care can help you get well and stay well. Our family medicine and internal medicine clinicians listen to your concerns and are focused on your overall health and well-being.
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