STAT December 12, 2023
In 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created the annual wellness visit (AWV), a new visit type with no cost to Medicare patients, better reimbursement to primary care practices, and higher assigned credit for clinicians’ work. The visit takes about 30 minutes and includes a questionnaire covering home safety, falls risk, and ability to perform activities of daily living, along with a survey of recommended preventive services and depression and dementia screening. No physical assessment is required beyond vision screening and vital signs.
When the AWV was introduced, many of my colleagues and I were optimistic that it might inspire preventive care, and of course any improvement in reimbursement was welcomed.
Now, more than a decade later, the...
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