If you are a senior with Medicare Part B, your doctor is very interested in your good health and wellness. As part of your Part B benefits, Medicare provides a free Annual Wellness Visit. This is an opportunity to develop or update a personalized prevention plan to help prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. You fill you a “Health Risk Assessment” as part of the visit. You can also expect to do the following during this visit: • Review your medical and family history • Develop or update a list of current providers and prescriptions • Check your height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements • Detection of any cognitive impairment • Provide you with personalized health advice • Develop a list of risk factors and treatment options for you • Review a checklist of screenings for preventive services Some of the screenings or immunizations your physician might recommend include: • Bone mass (density) measurements • Breast cancer screening • Cardiovascular disease screening • Cervical and vaginal cancer screenings • Colorectal cancer screening • Depression screening • Diabetes screening • Hepatitis C screening test • Nutrition therapy services • Obesity screenings and counseling • Prostate cancer screenings • Shots: o Flu shot o Hepatitis B Shot o Pneumococcal shot • Tobacco use cessation counseling Many of these screenings and immunizations are provided at no cost under Medicare Part B. Your wellness visit is an annual benefit from Medicare that should be used. Schedule your appointment with your Medicare primary care physician today to get the most out of your health plan and the most out of your health! If you have more questions on your Annual Wellness Visit, please contact Central Valley Medical Group at (209) 573-7401.