Welcome To Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Welcome To Your Medicare Health Prevention & Improvement Program!  

Medicare is now covering an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) for all Seniors! 
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The Annual Wellness Visit allows Seniors the opportunity to now work with a Geriatric Healthcare Specialist, such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialists who is specifically trained in Wellness & Prevention of Chronic Disease, in order to improve all patients medical care and prevent hospital admissions and re-admissions.  

.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed this framework on the basis of three recently conducted systematic literature reviews and expert input from physicians, researchers, members of medical associations, wellness program developers, and CDC subject matter experts. Expert opinion was used where the evidence base was limited. This framework is targeted at Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older but can also be applied to younger beneficiaries. 

Why is Medicare Paying For My Prevention & Wellness Visits?

This increasing number of elderly adults presents critical challenges for our nation’s public health and healthcare systems unless improvements occur in population health. The problem began with Primary Care Providers simply did not offer education or prevention as part of medical care.

Studies showed that more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are treated for five or more chronic conditions annually and coordination of their care is challenging. In one study, the average Medicare enrollee saw a median of two primary care physicians and five specialists working in four different practices each year with NO coordination of medical care. Those with five or more chronic conditions see an average of 14 different physicians yearly. Some studies reported seniors were prescribed and filled over 50 medications per person/per year!

Evidence clearly suggests that multidisciplinary teams offering primary, secondary and tertiary prevention services can deliver higher-quality care at relatively lower cost and can achieve significant reductions in mortality, morbidity, and attendant health spending. 

What will my Wellness & Prevention Health Care Doctor Do At My Annual Wellness Visit? 

• At your annual wellness visit you will receive a Personalized Health Risk Assessment! 

• A Health Risk Assessment is a Patient-Centered Assessment that is focused on Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. 
• Section 4103 of the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare Coverage of annual wellness visits includes a customized prevention plan without any cost to the beneficiaries. This means NO deductibles or co-pays! 

• Medicare is paying for this critical assessment to be done because research has shown that primary prevention of diseases can be prevented. For example, diseases such as high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, obesity  or diabetes could have been prevented or can at least be mitigated because the disease has modifiable risk factors and research has also shown many patients are not receiving the critical teaching in a typical medical care visit to their doctor.
• This Annual Wellness Visit supplements the "Welcome To Medicare" preventive visit, a one-time, comprehensive assessment offered to beneficiaries within the first 12 months of enrolling in Medicare.  ​

At your Wellness Visit you will receive:

1. Review of your complete medical history
2. Review of all medication
3. Review of all medication side effects
   
4. Review of disease risk factors
5. Review of Risk for Falls, Home Safety, Hearing & Visual Impairment
6. A Customized and Personalized "Prevention" Plan​
7. Identify Injury Risks
8. Identify modifiable risk factors for chronic disease
9. Identify urgent health needs of an individual
10. Interactive telephonic or web-based programs
11. Medical Nutritional Therapy
    
12. Depression Screening
    
13. End of Life Advanced Directives

Call Coastal Carolinas Integrated Medicine today to schedule your Annual Prevention and Wellness Visit! (910)-755-6060