Take Advantage of your Medicare Wellness Visit

Each year,  Medicare recipients have an opportunity to take part in a Annual Medical Wellness Visit.  These visits may lower your risk of illness or injury. The term “physical” is often used to describe wellness care. But Medicare does not pay for a traditional, head-to-toe physical. Medicare does pay for a wellness visit once a year to identify health risks and help you to reduce them. 

At your wellness visit, our health care team will take a complete health history and provide several other services:

• Screenings to detect depression, risk for falling and other problems,
• A limited physical exam to check your blood pressure, weight, vision and other things depending on your age, gender and level of activity,
• Recommendations for other wellness services and healthy lifestyle changes.

These visits provide a yearly opportunity for patients with a Medicare plan to sit down and talk about their health. The purpose of these visits is to identify health risks and we do that by completing screenings and collecting a medical history about the patient and their family.

The focus of the visit is on prevention. During the visit, patients will learn about health screenings recommended for them – such as colon, breast or prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, just to name a few and talk about any immunizations they may be due for. Referrals can be made for any services or resources the patient needs, including help with completing Advance Directives. 

 It should be noted that during the first 12 months, a patient who is newly covered by Medicare Part B is also eligible for an inital preventive physicl examination or IPPE, to review medical and social history as well as health screenings that can include flu shots, vision tests, routine measurements, and referrals for other care. This visit, which is commonly referred to as a "Welcome to Medicare" visit, is covered only once and only in the first 12 months of coverage.