• Sungchul Park and Ann M Nguyen.
• Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Fam Pract. 2024 Apr 15; 41 (2): 203206203-206.

BackgroundAnnual wellness visits (AWVs) have the potential to improve general health and well-being, but little is known about the role of AWVs during the COVID-19 pandemic.ObjectiveWe examined the determinants and effectiveness of having an AWV among Medicare beneficiaries in 2020.MethodsWe employed a cross-sectional study design using data from the 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Our outcomes included AWV utilization, preventive care utilization, health status, and care satisfaction. To examine the determinants for having an AWV, we performed a linear regression model and explored the associations with other individual-level variables (demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics). To examine the effectiveness of having an AWV, we performed a linear regression model on each outcome measure while adjusting for individual-level variables.ResultsWe found that there were several determinants of having an AWV. The four most notable determinants were having a usual source of care, enrolling in Medicare Advantage, being non-Hispanic Black, and being Hispanic. We also found that having an AWV was associated with increases in preventive care use (COVID vaccine, flu shot, pneumonia shot, and blood pressure measurement), but was limited in improving health status and care satisfaction.ConclusionOur finding raises critical concerns about inequitable access to health care services for disease prevention and health promotion during the pandemic. Furthermore, the effectiveness of AWVs was mostly in increased preventive care use, suggesting a limited role in meeting the wellness needs of a diverse population of older adults.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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