The Importance of Annual Wellness Visits: A Strategic Advantage for Health Plans

Annual wellness visits are a cornerstone of preventive care and a powerful tool for health plans to drive measurable outcomes. By simplifying access to care, plans can reduce costs, improve member satisfaction, and strengthen engagement. These visits, specific to Medicare and Medicare Advantage members, ensure proactive, preventive care that benefits members and plans by reducing the burden of high-cost interventions.

However, barriers like unclear provider options and scheduling difficulties often leave members unsure of how to proceed. Addressing these challenges is essential to unlocking the full potential of preventive care for everyone involved.

These visits provide essential opportunities for patients and providers to collaborate on personalized health strategies. For insurance plans and, more importantly, for members, these visits offer significant benefits - from improving overall health outcomes to reducing long-term healthcare costs. Despite their importance, a significant gap persists in scheduling and completing these visits, often due to uncertainty about where to go or challenges in scheduling. Addressing these barriers can unlock the full potential of annual wellness visits for everyone involved.

Why Annual Wellness Visits Matter for Members

For health plans, annual wellness visits ensure members remain proactive about their health, which reduces risks and improves outcomes. These visits enable providers to:

• Monitor Overall Health: Routine check-ups identify risk factors and early signs of chronic conditions, enabling timely interventions.
• Update Preventive Care: Vaccinations, screenings, and lifestyle counseling tailored to the individual are part of these visits.
• Personalized Health Plans: Providers create customized strategies for managing existing conditions, achieving health goals, and maintaining wellness.

The real value lies in prevention - catching potential issues before they become major health concerns and improving quality of life through informed, ongoing care.

The Importance for Insurance Plans

From the perspective of insurance plans, annual wellness visits are a critical mechanism to:

• Reduce Long-Term Costs: Preventive care reduces the need for expensive emergency care and advanced treatments by addressing issues early.
• Enhance Member Satisfaction: Plans that actively promote and facilitate these visits build trust and loyalty among their members.
• Data-Driven Improvements: Wellness visits provide data that can inform better population health management strategies and outcomes tracking.

The Gap in Annual Wellness Visits

Despite the clear benefits, many members miss out on annual wellness visits due to two primary barriers:

1. Not Knowing Where to Go: Members often struggle with questions like, "Is this provider in my network? Do they accept new patients? Are they available for an appointment?" Unclear communication from providers or insurers about these critical details leaves members uncertain about how to proceed.
2. Inability to Schedule: Scheduling challenges add another layer of difficulty. Members frequently encounter long hold times, lack of online scheduling options, and the need to call multiple providers to find availability. These logistical hurdles discourage timely action and prevent members from accessing essential care.

A recent survey found that 61% of patients have skipped doctor appointments due to challenges associated with scheduling, including being directed to schedule appointments via traditional phone calls. (Healthcare IT News)

Bridging the Gap with Technology and Support

Closing this gap requires a multi-faceted approach that emphasizes accessibility and ease of scheduling:

• Clear Navigation Tools: Platforms that guide members to the right providers based on their location, health needs, preferences, and insurance coverage can eliminate confusion. These tools provide clarity for members and help plans ensure smooth navigation of their networks.
• Seamless Scheduling Solutions: Current scheduling systems often fall short, with 84% of provider organizations limiting patients to scheduling appointments only through the front desk or call center. (Healthcare IT News) By leveraging GenAI voice agents, scheduling becomes efficient and cost-effective. These tools work seamlessly with existing provider workflows, making it easier for members to book appointments while reducing administrative burdens for health plans.
• Proactive Outreach: Proactive communication is key to driving engagement and reducing missed appointments. Examples include sending personalized SMS reminders or automated voice messages, which improve member follow-through and help health plans boost retention and care utilization rates.

Empowering Members for Better Health

Annual wellness visits are a strategic opportunity for health plans to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen member engagement. By addressing barriers and simplifying scheduling, plans can drive measurable results while ensuring members stay proactive about their health.

With PatientGenie, health plans can eliminate friction in healthcare navigation, connect members with care seamlessly, and deliver preventive services efficiently. Visit PatientGenie to discover how we empower health plans to eliminate barriers, connect members with care seamlessly, and achieve measurable outcomes for their members and their bottom line.

We help make timely appropriate care happen.

By Alex Zoller | CEO @ PatientGenie