A Qualitative Implementation Study to Improve Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) offers significant potential value.
• Its effectiveness is contingent upon specific implementation strategies and clinical contexts.
• This study investigated the perceived value of AWV within a residency clinic serving underserved patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore physician and patient perspectives on the value of the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV).
• To identify key factors influencing the successful implementation of AWV in underserved settings.
• To understand how to optimize AWV utility amidst patient-specific challenges.

Main Methods:

• Conducted qualitative interviews with healthcare providers and patients.
• Utilized deidentified transcriptions for analysis.
• Employed an immersion-crystallization approach for data interpretation.

Main Results:

• Physicians and patients identified crucial learning points for AWV.
• Key themes included patient preparation for the AWV.
• Aligning expectations and agendas, and optimizing AWV value considering patients' competing life demands were also highlighted.

Conclusions:

• The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a valuable tool with considerable potential.
• Thoughtful and tailored implementation is essential for maximizing its benefits.
• Specific attention to patient needs and logistical factors is crucial in underserved trainee settings.