Welcome to Medicare Visit vs. Annual Wellness Visit: What's the Difference?

Medicare offers two preventive visits that are easy to mix up: the Welcome to Medicare preventive visit and the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. The short version is that the Welcome visit happens once, near the start of Medicare Part B, and the Annual Wellness Visit keeps your prevention plan current every year after that. This guide explains how they differ so you can schedule the right one.

What is the short answer?

The Welcome to Medicare visit is a one time visit within your first 12 months of Part B that sets your health baseline and preventive checklist. The Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly planning visit available after that first year. Both are review and planning visits rather than full physical exams.

What is the Welcome to Medicare preventive visit?

The Welcome to Medicare preventive visit, also called the Initial Preventive Physical Examination, is available once within the first 12 months you have Part B, according to Medicare.gov. According to Medicare.gov, it isn't a comprehensive physical exam. It is a starting point: your provider reviews your history, medications, and risks, then helps you plan screenings and vaccines.

If other tests or care for a new concern happen during the same visit, they may be billed separately. Coverage and costs depend on your Medicare plan, so call the office to verify before your visit.

Learn what the visit includes on our Welcome to Medicare visit page.

What is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?

The Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly prevention planning visit. Medicare.gov explains that your first one can't take place within 12 months of your Part B enrollment or your Welcome to Medicare visit, and after that it is available once every 12 months. You don't need a Welcome to Medicare visit to qualify.

Medicare.gov notes that the wellness visit isn't a routine physical exam. If other tests or care for a new concern happen during the same visit, they may be billed separately. Coverage and costs depend on your Medicare plan, so call the office to verify before your visit.

Learn what the visit includes on our Medicare Annual Wellness Visit page.

How do the two visits compare?

Which visit should I schedule?

A simple way to decide:

• You have had Part B for less than 12 months: the Welcome to Medicare visit is usually the place to start.
• You have had Part B for more than 12 months: the Annual Wellness Visit is the yearly option, as long as 12 months have passed since any Welcome to Medicare visit.
• You are not sure of your dates or you have a Medicare Advantage plan: call the office with your Medicare or plan card ready. Medicare Advantage plans may have their own rules, so it also helps to check with your plan.

Is either visit the same as a physical exam?

No. Both visits focus on review, education, and planning. If you bring up a new problem or need care for an ongoing condition during the visit, your provider can address it, and that care may be billed separately. Tell the scheduling team what you would like to cover so the right visit is booked.

How do I check my coverage?

Coverage, eligibility, and costs depend on your Medicare plan and your situation, and the website can't confirm them for you. Call the Trinity office at (727) 997-1635 or the Hudson office at (727) 605-3000 with your Medicare card and any plan cards ready, and the team can help you verify your coverage before your visit. You can also call the number on your plan card.

What should I bring to a Medicare wellness visit?

• Your Medicare card and any Medicare Advantage or supplement cards
• A photo ID
• A list of your medications and supplements, or the bottles
• The names of your other doctors
• Any recent records or test results

Where can I schedule a Medicare wellness visit?

Both visits are offered at our two offices:

• Trinity: our Trinity primary care office at 3633 Little Rd, Suite 103. The care team there includes Amanda Durrett, FNP-BC, and Dr. John Hanna, MD, who alternates weeks between our offices. Call (727) 997-1635.
• Hudson: our Hudson office at 14153 Yosemite Dr., Suite 104. The care team there includes Miranda McWhirter, AGACNP-BC, and Dr. Hanna on alternating weeks. Call (727) 605-3000.

New patients age 18 and older are welcome. Appointment availability is determined by the office. Before your visit, check that your plan is listed on our insurance page, or read our guide to choosing a primary care doctor with Medicare.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general health information from the Internal Medicine MD care team and is not a substitute for advice from your own provider.