Enhancing Annual Wellness Visit Outcomes: Patient Perceptions and Provider Practices

This brief report describes factors that impact the effectiveness of Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). Patients who participated in an AWV at a large accountable care organization were contacted monthly via phone for up to 1 year to discuss their health promotion efforts. Data from visit narratives and secondary review of AWV documentation by researchers indicate that improved efforts are needed to ensure personalization of recommendations and support patient health promotion efforts. Enhancement of the AWV process, workflow redesign, and development of strategies to provide ongoing support between AWVs are vital to improve AWV outcomes.