Policy and Practice Recommendations for Nurse Practitioner–Led Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Simpson, Vicki

doi:10.1093/ppar/pry046

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2(p19) Preventive care planning promotes ongoing health, function, healthy behaviors, and independence. 3 AWVs can be completed by a provider (i.e., a physician or non-physician practitioner (NPP)), registered nurses (RNs), or other medical professionals (e.g., health educator, registered dietitian) working under direct supervision of a physician or NPP. Practices receive the same level of Medicare reimbursement for subsequent AWVs regardless of which qualified medical professional completes the visit.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In January 2011, as part of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare instituted the annual wellness visit (AWV), which provides coordinated, individualized preventive care plans for older adults 1 . The AWV is free for eligible Medicare recipients every 12 months and includes a health risk assessment that can identify “chronic disease(s), injury risks, and urgent health needs of an individual.” 2 (p19) Preventive care planning promotes ongoing health, function, healthy behaviors, and independence 3 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Age‐friendly health care and the 4Ms in RN‐led annual wellness visits

Garbarino,

O'Connor,

Pepin

et al. 2023

J American Geriatrics Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMedicare annual wellness visits (AWVs) are prevention‐focused healthcare visits free to Medicare recipients. These visits focus on health maintenance, health risk assessment, prevention of illness, and maintaining independence, all of which are within the scope of registered nurse (RN) practice as well as aligned with what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility — the 4Ms — of age‐friendly health care. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the implementation of the 4Ms in the context of RN‐led Medicare AWVs in a primary care practice.MethodsIn a primary care practice with approximately 2500 patients, including approximately 571 of whom were enrolled in Medicare, RN‐led Medicare AWVs were implemented, incorporating the 4Ms framework. During this time, data were collected on the effect of the AWV on access to care—conceptualized here as the number of visits available as well as the type of clinician open to staff these visits. Data collection also included patient responses to the 4Ms question “what matters most?”ResultsOverall, the RN‐led visits were successful and beneficial to the practice. Each RN‐led visit allowed for 2 additional acute or monitoring visits per provider (nurse practitioner, MD) per day, increasing patient access to their primary care providers. Inclusion of the 4Ms questions facilitated discussion around overall mental and emotional well‐being, life stressors, quality of life, and goals of care.ConclusionRN‐led Medicare AWVs incorporating the 4Ms framework enhances the role of RNs in primary care by focusing on a health promotion role, utilizing RNs to their full scope of practice. RN‐led AWVs increase provider availability for acute and chronic care appointments, as well as foster conversations around quality of life, as well as mental and emotional well‐being.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%