Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
A WORD TO OUR PATIENTS ABOUT MEDICARE PREVENTATIVE SERVICES
As your partner in good health, we want you to receive wellness care – health care that may lower your risk of illness or injury. Medicare pays for most wellness care, but it does not pay for all wellness care; at least not in the way you may traditionally think. Please see below for a list of frequently asked questions that may assist you in making the best choices for your health.
Does Medicare pay for an annual, traditional, head-to-toe physical?
One of the best ways to stay healthy is through regular preventive care and the term “physical” is often used to describe this care. Medicare does not cover an annual physical but they do; however, pay for a wellness visit once per calendar year. The intent of this visit is to identify health risks and to help you reduce those risks. This is called the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) and its part of your Preventive Services benefit.
What is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
Your AWV focuses on preventive care that your Primary Care Provider recommends for you, including: screening, tests and immunizations. This care is intended to prevent future disease and to catch health problems before they start, or become serious. The AWV at CalvertHealth will generally be performed by a Registered Nurse who works closely with your Primary Care Provider (PCP) to make sure you get the preventive care you need.
Is the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) the only care I need all year?
No. While the AWV is in place to identify health risks, you will need follow-up care should a risk be identified and/or to continue treatment of existing health problems. If you have concerns about health issues, a separate visit with your PCP outside of the AWV should be scheduled. In addition to your AWV, CalvertHealth recommends a regular office visit with your PCP to review care plans for any health issues or chronic conditions. A separate appointment will allow you and your provider to devote the time needed for your concerns, to include medication refill.
Make time for wellness.
Take advantage of your AWV to focus on your personalized, preventive, healthcare needs, risks and steps you can take every day to improve your health. We hope to help you get the most from your Medicare wellness benefits.
Before your appointment, our staff will ask you some questions about your health and ask you to fill out the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) form to help identify health risks.
Navigating wellness.
Use this quick reference guide to help you schedule the most appropriate care: