Make Your Annual Medicare Wellness Visit Count

For patients who have had Medicare Part B healthcare insurance for more than a year, it may be time to schedule your annual Medicare Wellness visit. This exam differs from your annual physical exam with your primary care provider. Rather than having a physical check-up, the focus will be to update your personalized healthcare plan to help prevent disease or disability as you age, according to medicare.gov.

Coquille Valley Hospital offers these annual visits with guidance from a registered nurse, Shayla Stidham, and your provider. During your visit with Shayla, you can expect:

• To review your current prescriptions.
• To record your height, weight, blood pressure and BMI.
• To review your potential risk for depression and level of safety.
• To review your medical and family history.
• To receive counseling about preventative services that Medicare covers.
• To discuss an advance directive, which specifies your healthcare wishes if you are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity.

Be sure to discuss any healthcare changes you’ve experienced, such as cognitive changes, so that additional assessments can be made or scheduled.

During a wellness visit, Shayla says, there are a lot of things that you can talk about that you don’t usually have time to talk about with your doctor when you’re taking care of your immediate needs, such as illness or pain.

“We’re able to sit down and take care of some of the preventative needs that are not taken care of in a regular visit,” Shayla says.

To get the most out of your Medicare Wellness visit, please bring a list of any prescription drugs you’re taking and doses, including over-the-counter vitamins and supplements, noting how often you take them and why. Also bring your immunization records and family health history, if available.

You pay nothing for the visit if your provider accepts the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for a covered service; this is called “accepting assignment.” You may have a copay, however, if your provider recommends additional services or tests that are not covered under the preventative benefits.

To schedule a visit, contact Shayla Stidham, RN BSN, at 541-396-3111, or ask for her at the front desk.