Wellness Visits

Wellness visits are a benefit for people with Medicare Part B health insurance. Sharan Allen, AGNP-C, and the team at A.L.M.S Community Health Center in Grand Prairie, Texas, see all ages and provide wellness visits. These annual appointments focus on your health, creating a plan to prevent disease and disability as you get older. To schedule your annual wellness visit, call the office or book an appointment online today. Telemedicine appointments are available. 

What are wellness visits?

Wellness visits are part of your preventive medicine plan. It’s one of the covered benefits for people with Medicare Part B health insurance.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program in the United States for people 65 years and older. You can also get Medicare health insurance coverage before you turn 65 if you have a disability or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Medicare Part B pays for your outpatient health visits, and Medicare Part A covers hospital costs.

Wellness visits focus on creating or updating your plan for preventing disease and serious disability. However, wellness visits aren’t the same as an annual physical exam.

When do I schedule wellness visits?

You can schedule your wellness visit at A.L.M.S Community Health Center if you’ve had Medicare Part B for 12 or more months. 

If you just started Medicare Part B health insurance, you can schedule your initial preventive physical exam (IPPE). This isn’t the same as the wellness visit but involves a review of your physical and social health history and education about preventive medicine.

What happens during wellness visits?

Before your wellness visit, your provider at A.L.M.S Community Health Center has you complete the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) questionnaire. This questionnaire gives your provider a general overview of your health and a direction for your preventive plan.

During your visit, your provider reviews your medical and family history, the types of medications you take, and what other providers you see. They also measure your height, weight, and blood pressure and perform a cognitive test to look for signs of dementia and other health issues.

After gathering this information, your provider offers health advice and discusses your health risks and treatment options. Then, they update your preventive wellness plan and create a checklist for the preventive services you need.

What happens after wellness visits?

The team at A.L.M.S Community Health Center may recommend health screenings or treatments based on the findings from your wellness visit. However, any additional tests you need aren’t part of the wellness visit and may not be covered by Medicare Part B.

A.L.M.S Community Health Center offers membership-based services that may help you get additional health care at an affordable price.

To schedule your wellness visit, call A.L.M.S Community Health Center or book an appointment online today.