What is an Annual Wellness Visit?

Have you heard the term “Annual Wellness Visit” and are not sure what it is? Let’s explain it a bit! An Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly visit to your primary care provider for preventative healthcare planning. In your first visit a personalized plan will be created and in your subsequent visits this plan will be updated to reflect your changing needs.

At your first Annual Wellness Visit, in addition to creating your plan, your primary care provider may check your weight and height, check your blood pressure, perform a health risk assessment, discuss your medical history, discuss your family’s medical history, develop a list of your healthcare providers and medications, create a screening schedule, perform a cognitive assessment, provide a list of risk factors and treatments, and offer personalized health advice.

At your subsequent Annual Wellness Visits, your primary care provider will likely check your weight, check your blood pressure, update your health risk assessment, update your medical history, update your list of healthcare providers and medications, update your screening schedule, perform a cognitive assessment, and offer personalized health advice.

If you’ve had Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) for longer than 12 months, you can get an Annual Wellness Visit at no cost and no deductible if your primary care provider accepts assignment.

If you would like to schedule an Annual Wellness Visit, simply contact your primary care provider.

To learn more, visit https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/yearly-wellness-visits.