A Medicare Wellness Visit is a yearly appointment with your primary care provider (PCP) to create or update a personalized prevention plan to help prevent disease or disability, based on your current health and risk factors. It is not a physical exam, but rather a review of your medical and social history related to your health, and may include education and counseling about preventive services, certain screenings, flu and pneumococcal shots, and referrals for other care, if needed. During the visit, your provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. Answering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy and get the most out of your visit.
To be eligible for a Medicare Wellness Visit, you must have had Part B for over 12 months and have not received a Wellness Visit in the past 12 months. You cannot receive your Wellness Visit within the same year as your Welcome to Medicare preventive visit. If you qualify, Original Medicare covers the Annual Wellness Visit at 100% of the Medicare-approved amount when you receive the service from a participating provider. This means you pay nothing (no deductible or coinsurance) .
