FAQ: Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

During the visits, doctors will work with beneficiaries to create a personalized prevention plan, and the following services will be covered in exam:

• Routine measurements such as height, weight, blood pressure, and body-mass index (or waist circumference, if appropriate)
• Review of medical and family history, including medications and current care by other healthcare providers
• A personal risk assessment (including any mental health conditions)
• A review of the beneficiaries functional ability and level of safety, including an assessment of any cognitive impairment and screening for depression
• Set up a schedule for Medicare’s screening and preventive services for the next 5 to 10 years
• Any other advice or referral services that may help intervene and treat potential health risks.

In addition, the following preventive services that Medicare currently covers will be provided free of charge to the patient, including:

• Mammograms every 12 months for eligible beneficiaries age 40 and older
• Colorectal cancer screening, including flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy
• Cervical cancer screening, including a Pap smear test and pelvic exam
• Cholesterol and other cardiovascular screening.
• Diabetes screening
• Medical nutrition therapy to help people manage diabetes or kidney disease
• Prostate cancer screening
• An annual flu shot, a vaccination against pneumococcal infection (that may cause pneumonia), and the hepatitis B vaccine
• Bone mass measurement
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening to check for a bulging blood vessel
• HIV screening tests for people of who are at increased risk or who ask for the test

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