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Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit is free once a year, and it is built to catch problems before they turn into an emergency room visit. One of the things it is supposed to catch is your risk of falling, but that part of the visit rarely gets top billing.
Most people book the visit, answer a health questionnaire, and leave without ever hearing the words fall risk. If you want that check done, you usually have to ask for it by name.
Choose your next move
Pick where you're starting from
Choose the option closest to your situation right now.
Start by booking the visit and preparing what to ask for.
Interactive toolScan your home before your appointmentBring what you find into the wellness visit conversation, especially if you chose I haven't scheduled this year's wellness visit.Show the toolHide the tool
Check the highest-risk rooms, note urgent fixes, and print a room-by-room list.
What the Annual Wellness Visit Actually Covers
Medicare Part B covers one Annual Wellness Visit every 12 months at no cost, as long as your provider accepts assignment. The visit is meant to build or update a personalized prevention plan, and that plan is required to include a review of your risk factors for falling, along with your functional ability and safety at home.
The problem is that the visit is fast, and the fall risk piece is easy to skip if nobody brings it up. Naming it directly, using the words fall risk assessment, gets it back on the list.
ChecklistDo these before you walk inA short list keeps the visit from running out of time before it gets to falls.Show the checklistHide the checklist
0 of 4 done.
What Happens After the Check
If your provider flags you as at risk, that should lead somewhere, not just a note in your chart. Common next steps include a referral to physical therapy for balance and strength work, a medication review to see if something is contributing, or a home safety evaluation.
Ask which of these applies to you specifically, and get the referral in writing before you leave. A verbal mention that gets lost by the next appointment does not help you.
TimelineWork the follow-up in orderCheck off each step as you complete it.Show the timelineHide the timeline
Ask for a copy of your prevention plan before you leave the office.
Book physical therapy, a medication review, or a home safety visit while the referral is fresh.
Use your home safety scan results to handle the highest-risk spot first, like a loose rug or a dark stairwell.
If a fall has already happened and you are past the wellness visit stage, After a Fall: A First-Week Recovery Plan covers what to do in the days right after.
Interactive toolMap out any referrals you're waiting onKeep physical therapy, follow-up visits, and rides in one place so nothing gets missed.Show the toolHide the tool
Organize rides, meals, pickups, and check-ins with dates, helpers, and follow-up timing.
Save your plan
Save what you found and what you're waiting on so you can follow through.
