Helping Seniors Understand the Medicare Welcome and the Medicare Wellness Visit

If you are a health care professional who works with Medicare recipients, you likely hear questions about the various benefits they are entitled to receive. One that has been coming up recently is seniors not understanding the difference between the Medicare Welcome Visit and the Medicare Wellness Visit. With similar names and not much educational information out there to explain it, we understand the confusion.

The Medicare Welcome Visit

This benefit is for seniors who are new to Medicare Part B. It must take place within the first 12 months after a recipient enrolls. Designed to help with preventative interventions, the physician will review a patient’s medical history, their family medical history, and assess their social situation during the appointment. They will also provide counseling on recommended health screenings and conduct a physical examination. The exam is likely to include:

Height, weight, and body mass measurements:

• Blood pressure screening
• Evaluation of current medications including over-the-counter medicines and supplements
• Simple vision test

The physician may also recommend follow-up blood work, preventative screenings, and referrals to other specialists if they feel there is evidence to support the need for it.

This is a one-time visit.

The Medicare Wellness Visit

By contrast, the Medicare Wellness Visit is designed to be a yearly appointment to update or develop a personalized preventative health plan. As part of the visit, seniors will be asked to complete a, “Health Risk Assessment” questionnaire. That will help the physician continue to identify each patient’s individual risk factors.

Medicare recipients are entitled to one wellness visit every twelve months.

Costs for These Visits

If a patient has Medicare Part B and the physician accepts Medicare, there is no charge for either of these visits. The Part B deductible is also waived for both types of appointments. The caveat is that if the primary care physician orders any follow-up testing or screenings, there may be a cost associated with those.

To learn more about these benefits, please visit Welcome to Medicare.

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