Take advantage of your Medicare wellness visits

Whether or not you might be new to Medicare otherwise you’ve had a Medicare plan for a number of years, making the most of wellness visits is one step you may take to higher well being.

“Medicare has extra focus right now than earlier than on wellness, and the wellness advantages are designed that will help you keep effectively and establish issues as early as doable, each of which enhance outcomes,” mentioned Mark Meeker, DO, an inner drugs doctor and vp of Neighborhood Medication at OSF HealthCare.

Two visits to schedule

For those who’re new to Medicare, you might be eligible to 1 free “Welcome to Medicare” go to. This go to have to be accomplished throughout the first 12 months you might be lined by a Medicare plan.

When you’re a Medicare member and after you’ve accomplished your “Welcome to Medicare” go to throughout your first 12 months of protection, from that time on you might be eligible to an annual wellness go to together with your main care supplier.

These visits aren’t simply useful for you, as a affected person, they’re additionally useful to your care supplier.

“These visits present devoted instances to evaluate care gaps and well being upkeep points, which can get rushed and even neglected throughout an acute sickness go to or continual illness administration go to,” Dr. Meeker mentioned.

‘Welcome to Medicare’

You solely have such a go to as soon as, and it have to be carried out throughout the first 12 months you might be eligible for Medicare.

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Throughout this go to, your main care supplier will full the next:

• Medical and household historical past
• Despair screening
• Security screening to ensure you can safely get round by yourself
• Examine of your peak, weight, imaginative and prescient and BMI (physique mass index)
• Training about your circumstances
• Order screening assessments
• Referrals to specialists for any areas of concern
• Talk about end-of-life planning

This go to doesn’t embody a bodily examination. For those who anticipate a bodily examination, you could schedule an sickness or preventive drugs go to. The “welcome” go to is absolutely paid by Medicare; you don’t pay something for this go to.

Annual wellness go to

Visiting your primary care provider for an annual bodily is a crucial step in your well being care journey.

However for these on Medicare, the annual Medicare wellness go to is simply as necessary. The wellness go to is out there as soon as each 12 months and is offered for free of charge to you.
The go to is a chance to speak together with your OSF HealthCare supplier about find out how to keep wholesome. Throughout this go to, your supplier will:

• • • Replace your medical and household historical past
    • Record the medical doctors and others who present care to you and any medical gear you employ and replace the record yearly
    • Display for psychological capabilities equivalent to reminiscence and reasoning or despair
  • • Conduct a security screening to ensure you can safely get round by yourself
    • Examine your peak, weight, imaginative and prescient and BMI (body mass index)
    • Present training about your circumstances
    • Order screening assessments
    • Refer you to specialists for any areas of concern
    • Develop a screening check schedule for the following 5 to 10 years
    • Present you an inventory of your private danger elements and the way it’s really useful you deal with them
    • Give you private well being recommendation based mostly on the data collected
    • Talk about end-of-life planning

This go to doesn’t embody a bodily examination. If you need a bodily examination, you could schedule an sickness or preventive drugs go to.

Caring for your self

The time you spend together with your main care supplier throughout these appointments can higher educate you about your private well being scenario.

“It permits for time to dive into the ‘why’ behind screening assessments and wellness matters,” Dr. Meeker mentioned. “It higher equips the affected person with an understanding of what extra they will do to steer the healthiest life doable.”

What to ask

Dr. Meeker recommends having health screening and wellness questions prepared when it’s time to your appointment, whether or not it’s a Welcome to Medicare go to or the annual wellness go to.

Asking the fitting questions throughout your go to can assist you get the data you actually need. These 5 questions can assist stop well being issues earlier than they come up. You will get different recommendations on find out how to put together to your annual go to here.

• Do I want any vaccinations just like the flu shot?
• Does my weight, weight loss plan or another habits put me susceptible to diabetes, coronary heart illness, or one other situation?
• Ought to I be screened for top ldl cholesterol, excessive blood sugar or hypertension?
• Are my treatment wants nonetheless the identical?
• Ought to I’ve another well being screenings this 12 months, equivalent to one for despair or a watch examination for glaucoma?

“Sickness avoidance and early detection require an intentional effort,” Dr. Meeker mentioned. “Good well being is an important piece to high quality of life. Take the time to deal with your self.”

For those who’re new to Medicare or are behind in getting your annual go to, schedule your appointment together with your main care supplier right now by way of OSF MyChart.

Final Up to date: April 20, 2022