Medicare
Wellness Program
No cost preventive visits
Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit
The “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit and yearly Medicare “Wellness” visit are Medicare benefits that help you develop a personalized plan to prevent disease, improve your health, and help you stay well. There are no out-of-pocket costs to Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare Part B covers your one-time Welcome to Medicare preventive visit.
This is not a head-to-toe physical. Rather, the visit includes a review of your medical and social history related to your health and education, and counseling about preventive services, including certain screenings, vaccinations and referrals for other care, if needed. It also includes:
- Height, weight and blood pressure measurements
- A calculation of your body mass index
- A simple vision test
- A review of your potential risk for depression and your level of safety
- An offer to talk with you about creating advance directives
- A written plan letting you know which screenings, vaccinations, and other preventive services you need.
You can get this introductory visit only within the first 12 months you have Part B.
During the course of your preventive visit, your provider may discover and need to investigate or treat a new or existing problem. This additional care is considered diagnostic, meaning your provider is treating you because of certain symptoms or risk factors. Medicare may bill you for any diagnostic care you receive during a preventive visit.
Annual Wellness Visit
If you’ve had Part B longer than 12 months, you can get this visit to develop or update a personalized prevention help plan to prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. Your healthcare provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. Answering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy and get the most out of your visit. This visit is covered every 12 months (11 full months must have passed since your last visit). These visits also include:
- A review of your medical and family history
- Developing or updating a list of current providers and prescriptions
- Height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements
- Detection of any cognitive impairment
- Personalized health advice
- A list of risk factors and treatment options for you
- A screening schedule (like a checklist) for appropriate preventive services.
It's easy to schedule your Medicare Wellness Visit
- Option 1: Call the Knoxville Hospital Clinic at 641-842-7211 to confirm eligibility and schedule your appointment. Be sure to have your insurance card(s) with you at the time of your call.
- Option 2: Schedule your appointment online and select a preferred appointment time that best fits your schedule. Once you have submitted your request, a member of the clinic team will contact you to set up an appointment. Our schedulers are available Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Medicare Wellness Visits at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics are a great way to do something good for yourself.
- You have quick access to appointments.
- $0 out of pocket cost. There are no copayments or deductibles for these visits.
- We will even send a summary of your visit directly to your doctor.
Learn more about the no cost Medicare Wellness Visits by viewing or downloading our brochure. If you have any questions about the Medicare Wellness Program contact our Health Coach Navigator at (641) 842-7211.