The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a yearly prevention-planning appointment covered by Medicare Part B at no cost to you — no deductible, no copay — when performed by a provider who accepts Medicare assignment, as we do. At Lakewood Primary Care and Wellness in Dallas, it is performed by Dr. Rajan Kohli, MD, board certified in Family Medicine, and we are accepting new Medicare patients.
What the Annual Wellness Visit is
The AWV is Medicare's yearly check-in on your overall health and your plan for staying healthy. It is built around a health risk assessment and a personalized prevention plan: which screenings you are due for, which vaccinations you need, how your memory, mood, medications and fall risk look this year compared with last. Medicare patients — particularly adults managing high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol — are the core of this practice, and we use the AWV as it was intended: to catch problems while they are still small.
Annual Wellness Visit or annual physical — what is the difference?
This is the single most common point of confusion, and it matters because it affects what you pay.
- The Annual Wellness Visit is a prevention-planning visit. It reviews your history, risks, medications, cognition and screening schedule. It is not a head-to-toe physical exam. Medicare Part B covers it once every 12 months at no cost to you.
- An annual physical is a hands-on examination. Original Medicare does not pay for a routine head-to-toe physical as a separate benefit, though many Medicare Advantage plans add one.
- In practice, many patients pair the AWV with a problem-focused visit — reviewing blood pressure or diabetes on the same day. That part of the visit is billed like a normal office visit, and we tell you before it happens, not after.
What happens at your visit
- A health risk assessment — a structured questionnaire about your health, habits and daily function
- Review of your medical and family history and your full medication list, including supplements
- Height, weight, blood pressure and body mass index
- A cognitive assessment to look for early signs of memory impairment
- Depression screening and a review of mood and sleep
- Fall risk and home safety review — a major, preventable cause of losing independence after 65
- A written, personalized prevention plan: the screenings and vaccinations you are due for over the next 5–10 years
- Optional advance care planning — a conversation about your wishes, at no additional cost when done as part of the AWV
Who is eligible, and what it costs
You are eligible for an AWV if you have had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months and have not had an AWV in the last 12 months. During your first year on Part B you get a one-time "Welcome to Medicare" visit instead, and we provide that too. The AWV itself costs you nothing — Medicare pays it in full, with no deductible or coinsurance. Medicare Advantage plans cover the AWV as well, since it is a required Part B benefit.
What to bring
- Your Medicare card and photo ID
- Every medication and supplement you take — the bottles themselves are ideal
- Names of the other doctors and specialists you see
- Your vaccination record, if you have one
- Any questions about memory, balance, mood or sleep — this is the visit built for them
After your visit
You leave with a written prevention plan, and we schedule what it calls for: labs, screenings, vaccinations and follow-up. For patients managing two or more chronic conditions, Medicare's Chronic Care Management benefit adds structured follow-up between visits, and we actively use it alongside chronic care and geriatric care. We accept Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, plus most major commercial insurance.
Where we are
Lakewood Primary Care and Wellness is at 8210 Walnut Hill Lane, Professional 1, STE 516, Dallas, TX 75231 — at Walnut Hill and US 75 on the Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas campus, minutes from University Park, Highland Park, Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands and North Dallas. Same-week appointments are usually available.
