Care Management Blog

Due to the pandemic, the demand for expanded Behavioral Health services in primary care settings has increased significantly. It is reported that one in five adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder, whereas two out of five individuals experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.

As you may be aware, an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a yearly evaluation of a patient's current health. For Medicare Part B beneficiaries, the appointment is free of cost. During an AWV, a doctor will review the patient's health history, identify any potential health issues, and answer any questions. The main goal of an Annual Wellness Visit is to establish a record of the individual's physical and mental well-being to develop a preventive health plan. While Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) can benefit healthcare providers by improving communication with their patients and helping them collect reimbursements, there are also several advantages for patients themselves.

Healthcare’s goal is to cure. However, Advance Care Planning (ACP), or end-of-life planning, can address the tension between care at all costs and ensuring an individual’s wishes are met when they can’t speak for themselves.

Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) can be instrumental in improving care quality for older adults. This yearly assessment captures information about a patient’s health and functioning to document disease and identify new or worsening risk factors.

Several factors are driving the adoption of team-based care coordination. Workforce shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, a growing population of adults living longer with chronic disease, and the shift toward value-based care models top the list.

Unaddressed health-related social needs (HRSN) can make achieving care plan goals difficult.

Policy and value-based payment models promote the importance of managing transitions of care.

Patient assessments are used in various settings by different medical professionals. They can be part of a proactive process (e.g., during an Annual Wellness Visit) or when some symptoms or signals indicate further assessment is necessary.