Plan Ahead with Medicare Wellness Visits
What do the next 12 months look like for your health? While it’s impossible to know what the future holds, creating a plan can help you meet or even overcome any obstacles that may arise, which may unfortunately become more frequent as you get older. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself — your primary care provider at Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics can help you develop a treatment plan that’s not only tailored to your specific health concerns but is free as part of your Medicare Part B plan.
What Is a Medicare Wellness Visit?
A Medicare Wellness Visit is an annual wellness check covered by Medicare Part B that allows patients to “develop or update a personalized plan to prevent disease or disability.” Wholly separate from an annual physical — which is performed regardless of any treatment or diagnosis of a new or ongoing illness or injury — a Medicare Wellness Visit helps create a 12-month prevention plan personalized to a patient’s health history and lifestyle. During these visits, patients can address any new concerns, allowing providers to develop a plan with them. Medicare Wellness Visits may also provide a chance for providers to detect signs of oncoming health issues before they become larger problems.
Components of a Medicare Wellness Visit
Medicare Wellness Visits begin with your Initial Preventive Physical Exam (IPPE). Also known as the “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit, this one-time appointment is for new Medicare patients and must be scheduled within 12 months of enrolling in Medicare Part B. During the IPPE, patients will be asked to complete a Health Risk Assessment, which will help both the patient and their primary care provider develop or update a prevention plan both during the visit and in future visits. During the IPPE, patients may expect the following:
- Review of the patient’s medical and social history, during which the provider collects information like medical and surgical history, medications and supplements, family history, diet, physical and social activities, and use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs
- Review of the patient’s potential risk for depression
- Review of the patient’s functional ability and safety level, including fall risk, hearing impairment, and home and community safety (including driving)
- Physical exam in which basic vitals are collected, including height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, balance, gait, and other factors deemed appropriate based on medical and social history
- End-of-life planning (upon patient’s consent)
- Review of current opioid prescriptions
After the IPPE, the patient may schedule an Annual Wellness Visit with their provider. Covered once annually by Medicare, the Annual Wellness Visit offers a chance to further develop or update a patient’s personalized prevention plan. During the visit, the provider will ask to review and update the Health Risk Assessment completed during the IPPE. The Annual Wellness Visit may also include:
- Taking routine vitals like height, weight, and blood pressure
- Personalized health advice
- Review of medical and family history
- Review of prescription medications
- Advance care planning
- Scheduling age-appropriate preventive screenings
- Optional Social Determinants of Health Risk Assessment to help provider understand social needs and impact on treatment
The provider will also conduct a cognitive assessment to detect signs of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia. If the patient has an existing opioid prescription, the provider will review relevant risk factors for opioid use disorder, evaluate the severity of pain and current treatment plan, provide information on non-opioid treatments, and possibly refer the patient to a specialist. A review for other substance abuse disorders may also be conducted, after which a referral to a specialist may be ordered.
Create a treatment plan for the next year — we’re here to help! Contact the Rural Health Clinics in Carlinville, Girard, and Virden to schedule your Medicare Wellness Visit.
Posted in Healthy Connections on Jul 29, 2025
