Brilliant Care | Annual Wellness Visits

The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly preventive visit offered at no cost to qualifying patients. It’s an opportunity to focus on prevention, wellness, and care planning rather than acute problems. Brilliant Care helps practices maximize their AWV program – both in terms of getting patients to attend these visits and in executing the visits comprehensively. Our aim is to leverage AWVs to improve patient health and satisfaction while capturing valuable quality data for the practice.

Why AWVs matter: The AWV is intentionally proactive and designed to promote positive health outcomes and quality of life by holistically reviewing a patient’s health. During an AWV, we update medical history, assess risk factors, ensure preventive screenings are up to date, and create a personalized prevention plan. Evidence suggests that patients who receive AWVs are more likely to get recommended preventive care and may have lower healthcare costs in the following year. In fact, one study found AWVs were associated with up to a 5.7% reduction in healthcare spending in the year after the visit (particularly for high-risk patients). Moreover, AWVs can strengthen the patient-provider relationship by dedicating time to discuss health goals and advance care planning, which research links to improved patient satisfaction and even reduced mortality when strong primary care connections are formed.

Brilliant Care’s role in AWVs includes

Outreach & Scheduling

We identify Medicare patients due for their AWV (typically those who haven’t had one in the past 12 months) and conduct outreach to get them scheduled. We educate patients on the value of the AWV – that it’s free, doesn’t involve a physical exam, but is a vital chance to plan their health and get preventive services. Many patients simply aren’t aware of AWVs or confuse them with a “physical.” Our team clarifies this and encourages them to utilize the benefit. We have refined call scripts and letters that highlight the personal benefits (“this visit can help keep you healthier and catch any issues early”). Our proactive scheduling significantly boosts AWV completion rates. For example, with dedicated outreach, clinics often go from <65% of eligible patients getting AWVs to >80%. This not only improves patient care but also brings additional revenue (Medicare reimburses AWVs, and doing more AWVs can be a lucrative preventive service for practices).

Pre-Visit Preparation

Prior to the AWV, our team can assist with pre-visit planning – we gather necessary information such as patient’s self-reported Health Risk Assessment, screening questionnaires (for depression, fall risk, etc.), and list of outside providers. We ensure that when the patient comes in (or connects via telehealth, as AWVs can sometimes be done virtually), all the groundwork is laid for a productive session. This saves clinic time and allows the provider to focus on counseling and planning. It’s been shown that pre-visit planning can significantly improve efficiency and quality of preventive visits.

By entrusting Brilliant Care with your AWV program support, you can maximize the impact of these visits. Many practices struggle to do AWVs at scale because they take dedicated time – we take on that challenge for you. As one client put it, “Brilliant Care’s experts took the reins and improved our AWV scheduling dramatically”. We make sure AWVs become a routine part of your patients’ experience, not an afterthought.

Benefits Recap: AWVs drive prevention. They save lives and costs by catching issues early and planning for risks. They also strengthen the doctor-patient relationship – an intentional conversation about health goals can build trust and rapport. Studies highlight that a strong connection to a primary care clinician (fostered by visits like AWVs) leads to improved outcomes and satisfaction. While some debate how to optimize AWVs, there is agreement that focusing on prevention and patient goals is valuable. We take on the logistics so you can reap these benefits without adding burden to your physicians.

In summary, Annual Wellness Visits are a foundation of proactive primary care, and Brilliant Care helps you leverage them fully. It’s a key part of how we help keep patients “one step ahead of their health,” reducing future health issues and costs. With our support, your AWV rates will improve taking your program from a good idea to a thriving reality that distinguishes your practice for its preventive care excellence.