Preventive visit guide
Welcome to Medicare Visit vs. Annual Wellness Visit
The Welcome to Medicare preventive visit and yearly wellness visit occur at different times and cover different planning tasks. Neither is a routine physical.
Timing
Which visit applies?
| Visit | When available | General purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Medicare preventive visit | Once, during the first 12 months you have Part B | Baseline health and prevention review |
| Initial yearly wellness visit | After Part B has been active more than 12 months; not within 12 months of a Welcome visit | Create a personalized prevention plan |
| Subsequent yearly wellness visit | Generally once every 12 months after the prior wellness visit | Update risk information and prevention plan |
Welcome visit
What the one-time visit can include
The Welcome visit can include medical and social history, height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, vision, depression and safety review, certain screenings and referrals, and education about preventive services. An electrocardiogram can be ordered, and Medicare has separate cost rules for that test.
The visit does not include routine laboratory testing simply because it is called a physical. If the review leads to ongoing evaluation or treatment, see Medicare Mental Health Coverage for therapy, psychiatry and telehealth rules.
Wellness visit
What the yearly visit is designed to do
The Annual Wellness Visit develops or updates a personalized prevention plan. It can include a health risk assessment, medical and family history, current providers and medications, measurements, cognitive assessment, screening schedule, risk-factor counseling and advance care planning when appropriate.
Bring useful records: prescription and supplement lists, immunization dates, family history, provider names, advance directives and questions about falls, memory, mood or daily function.
Cost sharing
When the visit can produce a bill
The defined preventive visit has no Part B deductible or coinsurance when the provider accepts assignment. You may owe ordinary cost sharing when the clinician evaluates a new complaint, manages a chronic condition beyond the wellness benefit, performs or orders nonpreventive tests, or provides another service during the appointment.
- Tell the office which Medicare preventive visit you are scheduling.
- Ask whether the clinician accepts assignment.
- Ask which laboratory tests or services are planned and why.
- Understand that a symptom-related discussion can be billed separately.
Coverage path
Medicare Advantage can add plan-specific features
Medicare Advantage plans cover Medicare’s preventive benefits and can offer additional wellness services. The plan can require in-network providers and use its own scheduling, documentation and cost rules for extra services. Check the Evidence of Coverage rather than assuming every service advertised as “annual” is free.
Frequently asked questions
Medicare Wellness Visits Questions
Can I receive the Welcome visit every year?
No. It is a one-time benefit during the first 12 months of Part B.
Can I receive an Annual Wellness Visit in my first Part B year?
Generally no. The yearly wellness benefit begins after you have had Part B for more than 12 months. The Welcome visit is the applicable preventive visit during the first year.
Will Medicare pay for routine bloodwork at the wellness visit?
Not automatically. Laboratory tests must meet their own Medicare coverage rules. Ask which tests are ordered and whether they are preventive or diagnostic.
Is a cognitive assessment part of the wellness visit?
The provider checks for possible cognitive impairment as part of the visit. More detailed assessment or treatment can be a separate covered service with different cost sharing.
Primary references
Official Sources
- Medicare.gov: Welcome to Medicare preventive visit
- Medicare.gov: Yearly wellness visits
- Medicare.gov: Electrocardiogram screenings
- Medicare.gov: Advance care planning
Reviewed against official sources on August 22, 2026. Medicare and state program rules can change; verify current requirements before acting.
Independent Medicare guidance
Make the Next Decision With the Actual Details in Front of You
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Thompson Medicare Brokerage is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. This page provides general educational information. Coverage, costs, eligibility, networks, formularies and enrollment rights depend on individual facts, location, plan and coverage year. Thompson Medicare Brokerage does not offer every plan available in every area; Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE and SHIP can provide information about all available options.