Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit in a Large Health Care Organization: Who Is Using It?

Letters6 October 2015Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit in a Large Health Care Organization: Who Is Using It?Jianhui Hu, PhD, Gail A. Jensen, PhD, David Nerenz, PhD, and Wassim Tarraf, PhDJianhui Hu, PhDFrom Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan., Gail A. Jensen, PhDFrom Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan., David Nerenz, PhDFrom Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan., and Wassim Tarraf, PhDFrom Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5145 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare began covering a new personalized preventive care benefit on 1 January 2011: the Annual Wellness Visit. This benefit is being offered at no cost to eligible Medicare recipients; however, recent reports suggest that few persons are taking advantage of it (1–3) and who is using it is unclear.Objective: To examine the trend of Annual Wellness Visit use among seniors receiving Medicare and compare characteristics of users and nonusers.Methods: We analyzed administrative data from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries aged ...References1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Affordable Care Act: strengthening Medicare in 2011. 2011. Accessed at www.cms.gov/apps/files/medicarereport2011.pdf on 2 February 2015. Google Scholar2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Beneficiaries in original Medicare utilizing free preventive services by state: January-November 2013. 2013. Accessed at http://downloads.cms.gov/files/Preventive_Services_Utilization_by_State_Jan-Nov_2013.pdf on 2 February 2015. Google Scholar3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Beneficiaries utilizing free preventive services by state, YTD 2014. 2014. Accessed at http://downloads.cms.gov/files/State-Level-Preventive-Services_YTD-2014_July-2014.pdf on 2 February 2015. Google Scholar4. Salloum RG, Jensen GA, Biddle AK. The "Welcome to Medicare" visit: a missed opportunity for cancer screening among women? J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2013;22:19-25. [PMID: 23145890] doi:10.1089/jwh.2012.3777 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0257. 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