Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) Drive Additional 2X+ in Referral Revenue

The following is a guest article by Mike Linnert, Chief Executive Officer & Founder at SymphonyRM.

Most healthcare systems don’t think about the annual wellness visit (AWV) as a way to drive the holy grail in healthcare: better health outcomes and increased revenues. I’m going to make the argument here that they should.

Less than 1 in 4 Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) recipients currently receive an AWV

Nearly half (45%) of all Medicare beneficiaries have four or more chronic conditions, making the prevention, management and treatment of those conditions critical to both health outcomes and healthcare spending. Unfortunately, many Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) recipients are not aware that they are eligible for an initial preventive physical exam (IPPE) in their 65th year, and an annual wellness visit (AWV) every year thereafter.

For patients, these visits can be incredibly valuable, as they may uncover or identify areas of concern or risk that need further study or treatment. Early detection of disease not only enables prompt treatment that can prevent disease progression, but costly health outcomes. And yet, only 25.2% of Medicare and MA recipients receive an annual wellness visit.

For provider organizations, these visits represent an opportunity for downstream revenue from referrals generated during these appointments. With Primary Care being the entry point for specialty care, getting this higher risk population established with Primary Care through the AWV helps provider organizations deliver growth, build loyalty, improve quality, and build patient satisfaction.