Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (AWV) are frequently viewed by primary care providers as a tedious visit in which patients see little value. With consistent access to care issues and a shortage of primary care providers, these visits are easy to push to the side and focus on other visits. The problem is, these visits can impact attribution and they are also a key metric in value-based care plans as well as Accountable Care Organization (ACO) requirements to receive incentive payments. So how can a practice balance the need to maintain attribution and satisfy insurance requirements while still providing crucial hands-on care to patients? The answer may be more simple than hiring more providers or limiting new patients. Nurse-led Annual Wellness Visit programs have been proven to effectively meet the AWV requirements while increasing access to the provider for other visits.

It seems everywhere you look now, self-service is present from self-check-outs to ordering and paying using a QR code at a restaurant. Self-service, or the digital front door, became even more prominent with the COVID pandemic to reduce face-to-face interactions and the spread of the virus. Healthcare has had self-service options for patients for some time now through patient portals but these options are continually expanding to allow patients to interact with their healthcare team in the way they prefer. These methods can include self-scheduling, text messages to request an appointment or change an existing appointment, paying bills, completing health assessments before arriving at the office, and checking in for an appointment prior to arrival.