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I just went for my annual Wellness Exam last month. The bottom line on this is they are trying to see if you are still
able to take care of yourself. Can you handle your finances, go to the store, make a meal etc. I filled out several
pages. They also check to see if you are up to date on your flu shots and mammograms etc. They told me three
words to remember, then had me draw the face of a clock set to 11:10 and then asked me to repeat the three words.
I didn't have a problem with any of it. I do think this exam is good because so many elderly fall between the cracks with
problems they aren't ready to face and that they need help in their everyday lives. Especially folks who are alone and have
no family to see the decline in their cognitive behavior. I see this same doctor every four
months for blood work and follow up which is entirely different from the AWE. I don't do this every year, only when
the doctor keeps suggesting it! It sure can't hurt and it's covered 100% by medicare.
the problem we have seen is as we get older we are fine until we are not fine .... things can develop over a years time and show themselves in blood work ...
that is how they discovered my wife's first husband had multiple myeloma when he had no real symptoms .
the problem we have seen is as we get older we are fine until we are not fine .... things can develop over a years time and show themselves in blood work ...
that is how they discovered my wife's first husband had multiple myeloma when he had no real symptoms .
Yes blood work tells a lot. That is why I suggested just getting a blood panel every year rather than a physical. I have the office PA (physician's assistant) order it. I only come back in if there is something abnormal in the blood work.
I just went for my annual Wellness Exam last month. The bottom line on this is they are trying to see if you are still able to take care of yourself. Can you handle your finances, go to the store, make a meal etc. I filled out several pages. They also check to see if you are up to date on your flu shots and mammograms etc. They told me three words to remember, then had me draw the face of a clock set to 11:10 and then asked me to repeat the three words.
I didn't have a problem with any of it. I do think this exam is good because so many elderly fall between the cracks with problems they aren't ready to face and that they need help in their everyday lives. Especially folks who are alone and have no family to see the decline in their cognitive behavior. I see this same doctor every four months for blood work and follow up which is entirely different from the AWE. I don't do this every year, only when the doctor keeps suggesting it! It sure can't hurt and it's covered 100% by medicare.
This makes me just a little bit concerned. With so much "Big Brother" type of stuff now going on, I just wonder if going for a wellness visit might result in a visit from Social Services?
I have heard of cases where someone was basically okay, but Social Services got involved, and then the elderly person lost a lot of their freedom -- all against their will. I don't know if that is true or not, but I personally would not want to risk it!
Sounds like the clinic is the screw-up, not Medicare.
Yep. That's why I'm dumping the clinic.
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It's my understanding that if you have traditional Medicare plus a supplement, you don't need a referral to a specialist. You can just call a cardiologist who accepts Medicare and make an appointment yourself.
Also true. But with my now-former clinic, I had to get a referral from my PCP for any specialist. So I have another reason to dump them now.
If anyone has a reliable health care provider in the PHX metro that knows their posterior from a hole in the ground when it comes to Medicare, please let me know. I'm leaning towards HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea because it's close to my home but I'm willing to drive further. Thanks.
Have you considered Mayo?
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"We serve Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries every day and are honored to care for these patients. In fact, nearly half the patients seen at Mayo in Arizona are Medicare beneficiaries."
Mayo has facilities in both Phoenix and Scottsdale. Mayo is a nonparticipating Medicare provider which means it accepts Medicare patients and can bill excess fee of 15%. It submits its bills to Medicare and your supplement, Medicare and supplement pay you, you pay Mayo. The 15% excess is applied to your deductible. Once deductible is satisfied, your hd-F pays all excess fees. FL Mayo is restricting Medicare patients to a certain percentage of its practice. To my knowledge, that is not yet true in AZ.
Mayo's website states it is not a network provider in Advantage plans. Thus, Mayo would bill patient 95% of ordinary Medicare charges plus 15% excess, a PPO Advantage would pay what it pays an out-of-network provider, patient responsible for the balance.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 09-20-2019 at 11:22 AM..
Mayo has facilities in both Phoenix and Scottsdale. Mayo is a nonparticipating Medicare provider which means it accepts Medicare patients and can bill excess fee of 15%. It submits its bills to Medicare and your supplement, Medicare and supplement pay you, you pay Mayo. The 15% excess is applied to your deductible. Once deductible is satisfied, your hd-F pays all excess fees. FL Mayo is restricting Medicare patients to a certain percentage of its practice. To my knowledge, that is not yet true in AZ.
It is true in AZ now.
Quote:
Mayo's website states it is not a network provider in Advantage plans. Thus, Mayo would bill patient 95% of ordinary Medicare charges plus 15% excess, a PPO Advantage would pay what it pays an out-of-network provider, patient responsible for the balance.
Mayo isn't accepting new Medicare patients in AZ, despite what the website says. It hasn't been updated. I have spoken to multiple Mayo personnel. They all confirmed there is not a Mayo facility in Phoenix or Scottsdale that will accept me as a patient.
If I had known this was going to happen I would have become a patient before May 31 of this year, when I lost my private insurance.
I intend to check back periodically, since there will probably be openings at some point given the age cohort of the typical Medicare pt.
A well visit is not the same as a physical.....a well visit is more like a consultation that plans a strategy out for the year ....
I was pressured into seeing my PCP for a WC last month (3 months after a routine visit and check up) I am a pharmacist, I know what I need to do. I already see my PCP twice a year because or Tramadol for my back which is already 1 visit too many. I see my cardiologist once a year because of by-pass surgery 25 years ago (also nuclear stress test every other year) I see an endocrinologist twice a year to keep lipids in check - on this week's bi-annual blood test my total cholesterol was 123 and HDL was 70
The "Wellness Check" is an incredible waste of time for me, the nurse and the doc. I felt it was just a way of making a few more dollars for the clinic
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