The Affordable Care Act
of 2010 brought new covered services, as well as changes to existing services
regarding copayments and deductibles. The addition of the Annual Wellness Visit
(AWV) exam is meant to help you maintain good health through a yearly visit
with your primary care doctor.
Before the AWV exam, the ‘Welcome To Medicare’ exam (also called your Initial
Preventive Physical Exam, or IPPE) benefit was available to you during the
first twelve months of your Railroad Medicare eligibility. This initial exam
established your health baseline from which the doctor could measure changes.
The new Annual Wellness Visit is the next step towards using all the
information gathered in your 'Welcome to Medicare' exam. In addition, there is
no co-pay, and it is not charged toward your Railroad Medicare deductible.
Your Annual Wellness Visit will:
• Update medical and family history
• Update measurement of height, weight, body-mass
index and blood pressure
• Document changes you made in using other health
care professionals
• Document changes other health care professionals
may have made, like medications
• Update your screening schedule
• Update the list of risk factors
• Provide health advice based off this AWV information
and make referrals if needed
Though it may sound like a routine physical exam, the Annual Wellness Visit
isn’t - the AWV is a preventive service. Medicare does not consider a routine
physical exam a preventive service.
When you schedule your AWV with your doctor’s office, make sure they document
it so Railroad Medicare can pay for this annual benefit.
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