Medicare Part B covers many, many preventive benefits, but a good place to start is your primary care physician for a wellness visit.
If you’ve had Medicare Part B for more than a year, you can get an annual wellness visit to update your personalized plan to help prevent disease and disability. The wellness visit is provided at no additional cost to you. However, you may have charges for tests that your doctor may order.
During a wellness visit, your provider will conduct a health risk assessment to help develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy.
Your visit may include a review of your medical and family history; a review of other providers and prescriptions; height, weight, blood pressure, and assessments; personalized health advice; risk factors and treatment options; and a screening schedule for appropriate preventive services. You can get details about coverage for screenings, shots, and other preventive services.
Your provider will look for signs of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. If your provider thinks you may have cognitive impairment, Medicare covers a separate visit to do a more thorough review. Going to your primary doctor will help ensure that you get the medical care you need without you or Medicare being charged for unnecessary tests or services. You should always consult your primary care doctor before you receive any preventive benefits.
As always, if you suspect you are the victim of Medicare fraud or abuse, call the Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol at (888) 515-6565.
This project was supported, in part by grant number 90MPPG0040, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.