You’ve just signed up for Medicare, and you want to stay current with your regular check-ups. Before you can schedule your annual wellness visit, you’ll need to have an Initial Preventive Physical Exam (IPPE), or “Welcome to Medicare” visit.
These two appointments offer many of the same benefits, and both allow you to review your health and receive advice from your doctor. Here’s everything you need to know about scheduling each type of visit, how to prepare for each one, and how they can help you maintain your health.
What happens during a “Welcome to Medicare” visit?
Your “Welcome to Medicare” visit is usually the first wellness appointment you schedule with your primary care provider (PCP) after you sign up for Medicare coverage. It’s a one-time appointment with your PCP that you can make any time in the first year after getting approved for Medicare.
Medicare Part B fully covers this visit, provided your provider accepts Medicare.1 Before you schedule your appointment, make sure your provider is in-network.
A “Welcome to Medicare” visit is not the same as a regular physical. It focuses solely on preventive care based on your medical history and does not include a physical examination. During this visit, your provider will:
- Review your personal and family medical history with you.
- Check your height, weight, and blood pressure.
- Offer information for preventive services and health maintenance practices.
- Refer you to specialist care, if needed.
- Evaluate your fall risk.
- Screen your mental health and cognitive function for depression, substance use disorder, and dementia.
- Offer a Social Determinants of Health Risk Assessment.
Medicare Part B only covers screenings recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), including those for anxiety, depression, diabetes, hepatitis, tobacco use, and other common conditions.2 If you need a specific screening, check what Medicare covers before your appointment, and ask your doctor about any other screenings you may need so you can get the appropriate referrals.
At the end of your appointment, your provider will provide you with a written plan outlining preventive services and care. This plan will outline steps you can take to lead a healthier lifestyle and offer guidance to help prevent or manage conditions in your medical history.
Your provider may also discuss advance directives to plan for future medical needs. During this conversation, you can talk with your doctor about who will make medical decisions for you if you are not able to make them yourself.
What happens during a Medicare annual wellness visit?
Medicare annual wellness visits follow the same structure as your “Welcome to Medicare” visit. You review the same types of information—your health and social history—and get advice for preventive care. Like the “Welcome to Medicare” visit, your annual wellness visit is fully covered by Medicare Part B.
You can only schedule an annual wellness visit after you’ve had Medicare coverage for one year.3 If you’ve had a “Welcome to Medicare” visit, you’ll also need to wait at least 12 months after that visit to schedule your annual wellness appointment. You do not need to have had a “Welcome to Medicare” visit to schedule your first annual wellness visit.
During your annual wellness visit, you’ll discuss preventive care options and get health advice from your doctor. These appointments are not physical exams, so anything beyond discussing your health history and preventive care may not be covered.
If you need to discuss new or current health problems with your doctor during this appointment, it may be billed as an office visit instead. In that case, Medicare may only cover up to 80% of the appointment. You may even be responsible for the full cost of the visit out of pocket.
Above all, your annual wellness visit helps you stay on top of your health. Through these yearly visits, you establish a relationship with your doctor while learning how to enhance your lifestyle and mitigate health risks.
When should you schedule your Medicare wellness visits?
You have a one-year window to schedule your “Welcome to Medicare” visit after you sign up for coverage. Make sure you also schedule the visit itself within that 12-month period.4 To avoid confusion, schedule your “Welcome to Medicare” visit as soon as possible after you get coverage.
If you schedule the “Welcome to Medicare” appointment near the end of this initial 12-month window, you risk the appointment taking place after the one-year mark. Depending on your circumstances, you may still be able to keep the appointment as a “Welcome to Medicare” visit. However, it’s more likely that Medicare will consider it an annual wellness visit and cover it as such.
After that first year, you can schedule an annual wellness visit after waiting 11 full months. Medicare Part B will cover an annual wellness visit each year, starting 365 days after your previous one.
What’s the difference between “Welcome to Medicare” and annual wellness visits?
The “Welcome to Medicare” and annual wellness visits review the same information. During both visits, you’ll review your medical history with your provider and discuss your health risks to receive preventive care information.
The “Welcome to Medicare” visit is a one-time appointment with your provider. It’s intended to inform you about how to prevent potential health issues associated with conditions in your personal and family history that you may not have developed yet.
Your provider will talk with you about any updates to your health history over the past year. For example, you may have been diagnosed with a new chronic condition that a specialist added to your medical history. You can discuss preventive care in-depth and receive any necessary referrals during your annual wellness visit.
How are these visits different from a physical exam?
Annual wellness and “Welcome to Medicare” visits provide an opportunity to discuss your medical history with your provider and receive guidance on managing your health. A physical exam involves discussing your current health and ongoing problems.
During a physical exam, your doctor will take your vital signs, including blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. They also conduct a comprehensive physical assessment to identify any new health concerns that require attention.
These steps are outside the scope of Medicare annual wellness visits. Medicare Part B does not cover physical exams. If your provider does a physical exam at either of these visits, it may mean you have to pay for the visit out of pocket.
What types of Medicare cover each type of visit?
Medicare Part B covers your doctor visits, including the “Welcome to Medicare” and annual wellness visits. You can only get coverage for your welcome visit in the first 12 months of signing up for Medicare.
You are not required to have a welcome visit. Medicare will still let you schedule your annual wellness visit, even without a welcome appointment.
Medicare Part B doesn’t cover a physical exam, including bloodwork, x-rays, and other tests your doctor might want to run. You can, however, ask questions about your health and get advice about concerns related to your medical history.
Outside of your annual wellness visit, Medicare Part B covers office visits when you’re sick or have ongoing medical concerns. During these visits, your provider may examine you to diagnose any current health issues.
At this point, they can screen you for other medical concerns, order tests, and make referrals. The appointment will then be billed as an office visit.
Medicare will still cover up to 80% of these appointments. You would cover the rest with a copay, or it would go toward your deductible.
Who is eligible for IPPE and annual wellness visits?
You’re eligible for each type of visit if you have signed up for Medicare Part B. As soon as you’re approved for coverage, you can schedule your “Welcome to Medicare” visit.5
To schedule your annual wellness visit, you must have had Medicare coverage for at least 12 months.
Be sure to check your Medicare benefits before scheduling your appointment. That way, you’ll know what Medicare covers for you, and you can schedule the right kind of visit.
Why are these visits important?
Staying up to date with your “Welcome to Medicare” and annual visits keeps you aware of potential health risks based on your history. They help you maintain a healthier lifestyle when possible and let you discuss concerns about your medical history with your doctor.
Knowing how your body functions can help you identify problems sooner, if they come up. The earlier you’re aware of changes in your health, the sooner you can get them checked and treated. With these visits, you can inquire about changes to your medical history, receive guidance on preventive care, and feel more confident about your health and wellness.
Beyond the health benefits, you have a chance to build a relationship with your provider. By checking in about your health every year, you make it easier for your provider to give you personalized advice about how to lower your health risks.
References
- 1.Medicare.gov. (n.d.) “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/welcome-to-medicare-preventive-visit
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (n.d.) A & B Recommendations. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations
- Medicare.gov. (n.d.) Yearly “Wellness” visits. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/yearly-wellness-visits
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2024, November). Medicare Wellness Visits. https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/preventive-services/medicare-wellness-visits.html
- Medicare Interactive. (2025, March 31). Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit. https://www.medicareinteractive.org/understanding-medicare/medicare-covered-services/preventive-services/welcome-to-medicare-preventive-visit#:~:text=New%20to%20Medicare%3F,months%20of%20Part%20B%20enrollment.
