Since 2011, Medicare beneficiaries have been eligible for an annual wellness visit (AWV), a preventive health benefit created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Though this service has been offered for several years now, many may be confused about what the actual visit entails.
We talked with our AWV experts, Amy Chenoweth, LPN from Belington Clinic and Jamie Carpenter, LPN from Myers Clinic, to find out what beneficiaries can expect at an annual wellness visit.
What is a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
It is a visit that we make sure your chart is completely updated and make sure your screenings are done. Everything you should be getting like your immunizations, we want to go over your medication list, and go over family history. We are basically updating your whole chart and depending on your health, will be what screening you get.
Who gets a Medicare Wellness Visit? Who is it that has these or should get them?
Anybody that has Medicare coverage for their insurance is eligible for a Medicare Wellness Visit.
Does this visit cost the patient?
It does not, it is a free annual wellness visit for all Medicare covered patients.
But patients should be aware that during their visit, their clinician may recommend tests or perform services like a hands-on exam that are not formally included in the AWV visit, potentially causing beneficiaries to incur out-of-pocket costs.
What is the process like? How does it get started? If I have Medicare do I call you or do I talk to my provider about it?
You can call us at our respective clinics and ask to speak with us. I do have a Medicare list and I try to call all of our patients that have Medicare, especially when they have Part B, because Part A and B is when you are able to get an exam. Then I will update your chart over the phone and after that, you will come in to see the provider. The basic thing is if I have not gotten ahold of you and you decide you want to do that; give me a call and I will get you in.
Was there any special training or certifications that nurses have to go through to perform these visits?
We did have to do the Aledade training and we are both Licensed Practical Nurses, so we are certified to complete the Medicare Wellness Visits. Aledade is an organization that we work with that helps us put all the data together for these visits and helps us make sure we stay in touch with folks.
What specific screenings should I expect during these visits?
I will do my part over the phone, which is basically getting all of your health information and getting everything updated. Then when you come in to see your provider you will get vital signs depending on which Medicare appointment you come to. During the welcome visit, you can actually get an EKG as well at no cost, but it is going to depend on your health because men and women are different. Women may get their mammograms or dexa scans and men of course will need their PSA checked and we want to make sure they are getting their colonoscopy. It will depend on your health and your age.
For more information on your upcoming Annual Wellness Visit, call Barbour Community Health Association at 304-823-2800.
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