Annual Preventive Care Visits
Posted on December 23, 2021
Start the New Year Off Healthy by Getting Your Annual Preventive Care Visits
Your Medicare Advantage plan covers both an annual well-care visit and annual physical exam at no cost to you. If you don’t have one of these appointments scheduled already for 2022, we encourage you to call your primary care provider (PCP) today to schedule an appointment.
Many PCPs are able to conduct preventive care visits via telehealth (over the telephone or video). When you call to schedule your Annual Well-Care Visit, ask if your PCP can do it as a telehealth visit if you are unable to get to the office. You will still need to go into the office for your Annual Physical Exam, which needs to be conducted in person with your PCP.
What is an Annual Well-Care Visit?*
The annual well-care visit is your opportunity to talk with your PCP about your overall health goals and concerns, and develop a personalized prevention plan based on your current health and risk factors. During your visit, you will discuss:
- Your health risk assessment and medical/family history
- Medications, supplements and vitamins you are currently taking
- Health care you are receiving from other providers
- Your height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and other routine measurements
- Your emotional and mental health, and any concerns about depression, anxiety, memory loss or other cognition issues
- Your functional ability and activity level; and your ability to get around safely, in your home and elsewhere (e.g., your risk of falling)
- A schedule for screenings and preventive services you need
- Urinary incontinence
- Other concerns you may have like smoking cessation, weight loss, etc.
- Any risk factors and conditions you have and recommendations for treatment
- Health advice and referrals for health education or preventive counseling services or programs, as appropriate
- Advance health care planning and advance directives
What is an Annual Physical Exam?*
The annual physical exam is a head-to-toe exam that addresses your overall physical health, and will include the following:
- A head-to-toe exam of all systems
- A review of past medical history
- A discussion about the status of chronic, stable problems that may require additional work-up
- Age-appropriate counseling, screenings and tests; and measurement of blood pressure, weight, height and body mass index
- A mini-cognition test and depression screening
- “Get Up & Go” testing
Get Rewarded**
Health New England is offering Medicare Advantage plan members a $20 gift card incentive for completing an annual preventive care visit.** To receive your $20 gift card, once you’ve had your annual well-care visit or annual physical in 2022, log into our secure online Member Portal at my.healthnewengland.org and fill out a brief Preventive Care Visit Submission Form.
If you have questions, or can’t access our Member Portal to complete the form, please call Member Services toll-free at (877) 443-3314 (TTY: 711), 8:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m., Monday—Friday (Oct. 1—Mar. 31: 8:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m., seven days a week).
Don’t wait until you get sick to see your PCP; take advantage of your free annual preventive care visits. Call your PCP’s office to schedule your visits today.
*The focus of an Annual Preventive Care Visit is on prevention and screening, not detection and diagnosis. If your PCP addresses other medical concerns during your visit, that service will be subject to a PCP copay.
**Your PCP must bill this visit as an annual physical or well-care visit. Health and wellness assessments conducted in your home by a Matrix Medical Network medical professional do not qualify for the $20 gift card reward. The 2022 program is limited to one reward per year and must be claimed by 12/31/2022. Information submitted is subject to claims verification.
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