SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – If you are a Medicare Part B recipient, you are entitled to an Annual Wellness Visit with a health care provider.

Since January 2011, Medicare has offered its beneficiaries a one-time Welcome to Medicare visit and Annual Wellness Visits through the Affordable Care Act. The Wellness Visits are designed to promote good health and prevent disease, a goal shared by Regional West Physicians Clinic-Family Medicine.

“In our culture it is common for us to only go to the doctor when we get sick instead of for health promotion and disease prevention,” said Susan Backer, APRN-CNS, Family Medicine Care Coordinator at Regional West Physicians Clinic.

The one-time Welcome to Medicare visit must take place within the first 12 months of enrollment in Medicare Part B.  The Annual Wellness Visit is covered once every 12 months after the first year of Medicare coverage. There are no deductibles, co-insurance, or co-payments required for the Wellness Visits.

“There is no cost to the patient for the Welcome to Medicare visit or the Annual Wellness Visit, however it is important to remember that if your doctor performs other services or orders extra testing, including lab work, during the same appointment, these are not covered under wellness services. The doctor will bill for those additional services and you may have a co-pay,” Backer said.

According to Backer, the Welcome to Medicare visit is an easy way for you and your provider to get an accurate reference point for your health now and for the future.

“The Welcome to Medicare visit is a good opportunity to discuss short- and long-term steps to prevent disease, improve your health, and stay well. We will also provide you with a checklist outlining the screenings and preventive services you should get,” said Backer.

Annual Wellness Visits include, among other things, a review of the patient’s medical history, a health risk assessment, an evaluation of the patient’s physical condition, and screening for cognitive impairment, including depression. Annual Wellness Visits also include a personalized prevention plan, meaning the provider develops a strategy with the patient to manage their health. It includes planning the preventive services and screenings the patient may need over the next five to 10 years.

The Welcome to Medicare and Annual Wellness Visit services are available at Regional West Physicians Clinic-Family Medicine locations in Gering, Morrill, and Scottsbluff. To schedule a Wellness Visit or determine when you become eligible for your first Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, call 308-630-2100.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 182-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.