The “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit is covered by Medicare Part B if completed within the first 12 months of coverage. The “Welcome to Medicare” visit is not a physical exam.
What Is Included in a Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit at Boulder Medical Center?
During this preventive visit at Boulder Medical Center, your provider may:
- Review your medical and social history related to your health.
- Talk with you about preventive services, including certain screenings, shots or vaccines.
- Review your potential risk factors for substance use disorder, like alcohol and tobacco use
- Discuss and provide referrals for other care as needed.
- Calculate your body mass index (BMI).
- Give you a simple vision test.
- Review your potential risk for depression.
- Offer to talk with you about creating advance directives. Advance directives are legal documents that record your wishes about future medical treatment in case you’re ever unable to make decisions about your care.
- Give you a written plan (like a checklist) letting you know what screenings, shots, and other preventive services you need.
These services are designed to keep you well—not to treat illness or perform diagnostic testing.
What Is Not Included?
The Welcome to Medicare visit is focused on prevention. If your provider needs to do tests or provide treatment during the visit, you may see additional charges on your bill. This is because Medicare does not consider testing and treating concerns part of the Welcome to Medicare preventive visit. If you need these services, we recommend scheduling a separate appointment to ensure Medicare coverage is applied correctly.
We encourage you to ask questions so you understand why your provider is recommending certain tests or treatments and if, or how much, Medicare will pay for them.
- Check which preventive services are covered by Medicare Part B.
- Learn what is included in the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.
- To learn more about Medicare plans, drug coverage, and more, consider attending the the Boulder County Medicare Basics Class.
Schedule Your Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit Boulder, Erie, Longmont, or Louisville, CO
Call your primary care provider today to schedule your Welcome to Medicare preventive visit or make an appointment through your MyChart account online. If you need a new primary care provider, check out our list of primary care providers accepting new patients.