Published by: Medicare Rights Center
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!