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Annual Wellness Visits Available for Bayhealth Medicare Patients

June 11, 2018

Making sure patients receive the preventive and wellness service care they deserve is a priority for Bayhealth, which is why Bayhealth Medical Group primary care practices are conducting annual wellness visits with Medicare Part B patients. The wellness visits are offered free via Medicare, and are an opportunity for beneficiaries to receive the necessary care to remain healthy.

The annual wellness visit program is being done via the eBrightHealth Network Accountability Care Organization (ACO), which is an accountability care organization that participates in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Shared Savings Program that includes employed and affiliated primary care clinicians from Atlantic General Hospital, Bayhealth, Beebe Healthcare, Christiana Care Health System, and Nanticoke Health Services.

“These wellness visits are an opportunity for us to talk with our patients about ways to reduce their risk of getting sick or injured, and plan to stay well,” says Bayhealth Primary Care, Milford Physician and ACO Medical Director Preeti Gupta, MD. “We can keep track of annual test and vaccines, discuss habits and lifestyle choices, and talk about mood and functional abilities.”

When a patient is scheduled for an annual wellness visit, they can expect the following:

  • Review of the beneficiary’s past medical, surgical, family, and social history
  • Review of the potential risk factors for depression and mood disorders
  • Review of current medications, including over the counter medications 
  • Review of the beneficiary’s functional ability and level of safety, such as fall risks, hearing impairment and activities of daily living
  • Routing examination, which includes measuring height, weight, body mass index, and blood pressure; performing vision screening, hearing test and checking for any cognitive impairment, such as a memory test
  • Education, counseling, and referral for other preventive services such as a colonoscopy, mammogram, screening for osteoporosis, and AAA screening
  • Creation of a personalized health care and screening plan
 
“These wellness visits help keep patients on track with annual tests like mammograms and vaccines. It could mean preventing an illness or catching a disease like cancer in its early stages,” says Susan Larimore, LPN. “This is to help them be successful with their health.

Talk with your physician about conducting annual wellness visits, which are separate from an annual physical. If you’re in need of a primary care physician, visit Bayhealth.org/Medical-Group for locations and information on Bayhealth Medical Group providers.

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