Originally Published in Quality Health & Wellness Magazine | Fall 2020
Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit- FAQ’s & Information
Amie Boucher, FNP-C, and Brittany Miranda, FNP-BC are the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Family Nurse Practitioners at Wickenburg Community Hospital Clinic. Amie and Brittany are passionate about disease prevention, wellness, and spending ample time with each patient to assist in identifying health concerns.
You may have recently received phone calls from Wickenburg Community Hospital Clinics regarding scheduling an appointment for your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (MAWV). Suppose you have had Medicare Part B for more than one year. In that case, you are eligible to receive a comprehensive wellness visit once every 12 months to create, update, or optimize a prevention plan established by yourself and a medical provider.
These prevention plans are developed to help prevent disease and disability and are customized based on your current health problems or risk factors. Also included in the wellness visit is a thorough cognitive exam performed to identify signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
The cost to you for the MAWV is ZERO. The appointment is free. You pay nothing for this visit because the Part B Medicare deductible doesn’t apply. The only time there may be a cost to you associated with this visit would be if additional tests or services are performed during the Annual Wellness Visit at your request.
Additional tests and services are not covered under the preventative benefits provided by Medicare. During this visit, medical providers aim to identify your healthcare needs for the year and assist you in taking these identified needs to your primary care provider to improve your health and wellness or prevent deterioration. Medicare, in general, does not cover a routine physical examination.
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is an eight-part appointment that includes:
- A review of your medical and family history
- Updating a list of your current providers and prescriptions
- Obtaining your height, weight, blood pressure and other routine vital signs
- Detection of cognitive impairment
- Personalized health advice
- An assessment of risk factors relevant to you and the treatment options available
- A screening schedule for appropriate preventative services
- Advanced Directive planning.
What IS the MAWV?
- A conversation with a medical provider (i.e., NP, PA, MD, DO)
- An in-depth analysis of your medical records
- Identification of preventative tests that can potentially be performed based on your needs (i.e., colonoscopy, mammogram, bone density test, hepatitis C testing, abdominal ultrasound, low dose CT scan)
- Providing Advanced Directive paperwork for you to complete
What the MAWV is NOT:
- Not a routine physical examination
- Not a visit where routine labs are ordered
Many patients coming to the clinic for their MAWV have the misconception that the visit is a physical where labs are ordered, and a head-to-toe examination is performed. On the contrary, the visit is designed to identify health needs and provide critical health advice relevant to you. The visit also is intended to assist you in identifying related health problems that need routine follow-up with your primary care provider.
At Wickenburg Community Hospital Clinics, Amie Boucher, FNP-C, and Brittany Miranda, FNP-BC are the Family Nurse Practitioners available to you for these visits. Both Amie and Brittany are passionate about disease prevention and wellness and will spend ample time to assist you in identifying health concerns.
Questions About Your Medical Annual Wellness Visit?
To Schedule Please Call Community Hospital Clinics- Wickenburg: 928-668-1833
