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Annual Wellness Visit

A Comprehensive Guide to Annual Wellness Visit

Learn about the benefits and requirements of this Medicare program.

What is an Annual Wellness Visit?

A way to implement preventative care

An AWV is a detailed, question-based assessment of a patient’s current health and risk factors and is free for patients with Medicare Part B.

The goal of AWVs is to create a complete personal and family health history for patients and help prevent future health problems.

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Help patients communicate about health concerns

Once per year, patients meet with a clinician to discuss their health history, answer any questions they may have about their health, and identify at-risk areas. Follow-ups can be provided to help reduce health risk factors identified in AWVs.

Patients benefit from improved outcomes

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Qualified providers span care teams

Health care professionals who may administer and bill AWV include:

  • Physician
  • Physician Assistant
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Medical Professional (includes health educators, registered dieticians or nutrition professionals, or other licensed practitioners)
  • Non-physicians must be legally authorized and qualified to provide AWVs in the state in which the services are rendered
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How do patients enroll in AWV? 

This visit is offered to patients within 12 months after enrolling in Medicare.

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Understanding Annual Wellness Visit CPT codes:
G0402, G0438, G0439

2024 - AWV - CPT Codes - Chart 1 - Final

Billing code G0402 is for the Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE). This visit is offered to patients within 12 months after enrolling in Medicare. They can only receive this benefit once. The reimbursement is around $163.

Billing code G0438 is for the Initial Annual Wellness Visit. This visit is offered to patients only once in their lifetime. They are eligible within 11 calendar months after their IPPE. The reimbursement is around $162.

Billing code G0439 is for the Subsequent Annual Wellness Visit, Patients are eligible for this benefit every year after their Initial Annual Wellness Visit. The reimbursement is around $128.

To bill for AWV, providers must meet specific requirements

During the an Annual Wellness Visit providers should cover the following with patients:

  • Check height, weight, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and vision
  • Review medical and social history
  • Review for mental health conditions
  • Review a patient’s ability to function safely in the home and community
  • Provide the patient with information, counseling, and referrals related to any identified risk factors and/or other health needs
  • Provide the patient with information about preventive services they may need

How to start an AWV program

Before starting a program, it's important to consider: 

  • Your plan to enroll and deliver services to patients
  • Hiring a certified care manager
  • Targeting a specific population or conditions
  • Using software for care planning, data collection, and billing
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Initial steps to launching an AWV program

Apart from understanding AWV's rules and requirements, providers should:



Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Health Risk Assessment (HRA)

Health risk

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ACP

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Pharmacies can benefit from providing AWVs

Pharmacists facing DIR fees and lower reimbursements on medications, Medicare’s care management programs, like Annual Wellness Visits, offer opportunities for additional revenue, while addressing gaps in patient care.

Pharmacists are uniquely qualified to assist with these programs and can do so through physician & pharmacist partnerships.



Annual Wellness Visits can promote value-based care

Lower health care costs and improve patient outcomes

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Care management programs can enable care coordination

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AWV can be combined with other Medicare programs

This can further support patient outcomes and generate additional reimbursement.

ThoroughCare streamlines
Annual Wellness Visits

Our software platform is intuitive and designed for AWV’s rules and requirements. ThoroughCare can help:

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AWV Dashboard - Final