Translating the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit into Messages and Materials to Improve Preventive Care In Older Adults.

Context. The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a Medicare benefit aimed at increasing preventive care and building a stronger patient-clinician relationship. However, uptake of the AWV in primary care has been low, and many patients are unaware of this free annual visit. Boot Camp/Community Translation (BC/CT) has been used in local communities, small areas, and regional practice-based research networks to create patient messages and materials but has never been convened on a national level.

Objective. Translate the medical jargon associated with the AWV into messages and materials to engage primary care practices and patients to increase uptake of the AWV.

Study Design and Analysis. BC/CT, occurring over 6 months with a half day in-person kickoff, 5 phone calls, and 2 virtual video conferences.

Setting. National BC/CT community advisory council recruited from primary care practices around the United States.

Participants. Senior Medicare beneficiaries and clinicians.

Outcome Measures. Messages and materials that maintain fidelity to the requirements of the AWV and engage patients and primary care practices.

Results. The BC/CT council consisted of 14 patients and 4 clinicians. This national community advisory council created compelling messages and materials that can be implemented in a variety of settings including primary care practices and community settings. Messages included the concept of prevention, staying healthy, getting to do the activities one likes for longer, having more time with your primary care clinician, that the visit is usually free, and there is a potential financial benefit to the practice. Participants wanted a set of general messages that could be customized and tailored to each region, city, practice or community setting. Participants valued making sure the messages in the practice aligned with messages in the community.

Conclusions. Boot Camp/Community Translation has typically been focused on small areas, local communities, and regional practice-based research networks. This BC/CT on Annual Wellness Visits successfully included a group of patients and primary care clinicians from around the United States who were able to create a buffet of compelling and engaging messages and materials to promote the AWV. These messages and materials will be used and tested in future studies to examine their effect on patient and clinician uptake of AWVs.