A small study suggests that a skin test may someday be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Researchers have found that skin biopsies can show the high levels of abnormal proteins often associated with the two diseases. Skin and brain tissue are similar, and so researchers have looked at skin as a way to identify and diagnose the disease earlier. Currently, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease cannot be developed for a living person, since the only definitive way to diagnose the disease comes from examining brain tissue from a biopsy. If further developed and tested, this skin test could aide in the study and diagnosis of other neurodegenerative diseases.
Dear Marci,
Dear Marci,
When I last visited my doctor, she said that we should schedule my Annual Wellness Visit soon to discuss my health. I have never had an Annual Wellness Visit before, and I am not sure what this visit is about. Is it just a regular physical exam? What happens during an Annual Wellness Visit?
– Jackie (Lexington, KY)
Dear Jackie,
The Annual Wellness Visit is an annual appointment with your primary care doctor to develop your plan of preventive care for the upcoming year. This visit is not a head-to-toe physical; rather, it is an opportunity to discuss your current health with your doctor and create a plan for promoting your health and wellness. The Annual Wellness Visit is similar to your Welcome to Medicare visit, the one-time appointment with your doctor that takes place within the first twelve months after you enroll into Medicare. Know that you cannot have your Annual Wellness Visit within the same year that you have your Welcome to Medicare exam.
Since this will be your first Annual Wellness Visit, you and your doctor will create a prevention plan based on your needs. You will likely discuss your medical and family history, complete a health-risk assessment that considers your health status, injury risks, and any health needs, and compile a list of all of your current medical providers and medications. You can start to consider these things in advance of your appointment to prepare for the visit.
Depending on your health care needs and history, you and your doctor might do any of the following tasks during your Annual Wellness Visit:
- Create a checklist or screening schedule for various preventive health care screenings. Medicare covers many preventive care services, and this checklist will depend on your health status and what services you are eligible to receive;
- Identify risk factors and current medical and mental health conditions along with related current or recommended treatments;
- Check your height, weight, blood pressure, and body mass index;
- Screen for cognitive impairment, including diseases such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia;
- Review risk factors for depression;
- Review your functional ability and level of safety, including screening for hearing impairments and for your risk of falling; or
- Give health advice and referrals to education or preventive counseling services or programs aimed at reducing identified risk factors and promoting wellness, such as weight loss, physical activity, smoking cessation, fall prevention, and nutrition.
You will not have a full physical as part of your Annual Wellness visit. Rather, the visit is used to assess your overall state of health and put a plan in place to maintain and promote your well-being.
Original Medicare covers the Annual Wellness Visit with no coinsurance or deductible as long as you see doctors or other health care providers who accept Medicare assignment. Medicare Advantage plans cover all preventive services the same as Original Medicare, so your plan is not allowed to charge cost-sharing fees (coinsurances, copays or deductibles) for preventive services that Original Medicare does not charge for as long as you see in-network providers. If you see providers that are not in your plan’s network, charges will typically apply.
It’s very important to keep in mind that, while the Annual Wellness visit itself is free, out of pocket costs can apply for additional care you receive during or following the visit. If your primary care provider explores or treats a new or existing health issue or runs test separate from those listed above during the Annual Wellness Visit, you may be charged. Services not included in the Annual Wellness Visit are billed separately and are subject to the usual copays and deductibles.
-Marci
Medicare Reminder
If you were denied coverage for a prescription drug, you should ask your plan to reconsider its decision by filing an appeal. Your appeal process will be the same whether you have a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes your Part D prescription drug coverage.
If your pharmacist tells you that your plan will not pay for your prescription drug, you should call your plan to find out the reason it is not covering your drug. Then, you should talk to your prescribing physician about your options. If switching to another drug is not an option, you should file an exception request – a formal coverage request – with your plan. Call your plan to learn how to file an exception request. Make sure you get a letter of support from your doctor and include that with your request.
Your plan should issue a decision within 72 hours. File an expedited request if you need your drug right away, and your plan should issue a decision within 24 hours. If your request is approved, your drug will be covered. If it is denied, you should follow the directions on the written denial you receive to appeal.
Know Your Allergy Symptoms !
Do you know what the main symptoms of allergies are? Do you know what to look for when it comes to allergies? Some are just very frustrating and annoying to most. However there are some people that have symptoms of allergies that can be very life threatening and dangerous.
The most common symptoms are going to be the following:
* Breathing problems. This is one that can be very harmful for a person that has an allergy. It is really going to get someone’ s attention. Having a lack of oxygen can really get a person’s attention for the allergy.
* Burning and itchy eyes known as Conjunctivitis. This is a big problem for most people that are dealing with allergies.
* Coughing. This is something that many people with allergies have to deal with. It is a constant cough that will start to become painful for some.
* Diarrhea. Having diarrhea can be a very big problem for many people in their normal lifetime. It may even become life threatening for some that have it too long.
* Headache. Having a headache can be a very distractible problem. Many times it is hard to live a normal life and do the things that a person normally would do.
* Hives. Having hives is something that will be annoying and very uncomfortable. It will be painful for some and it can bring the attention of others to you when you are out in public.
* Itchy noses,mouth, throat and skin. An itch that cannot be smoothed is one of the most annoying problems that an allergy can bring on.
* Runny nose. Having a runny nose is something that is going to mean that a person is constantly blowing their nose or sniffing.
* Skin rashes are some that are painful and itchy most of the time. However they are also very annoying and even ugly for some people depending on where they are located on the body.
Health Tip !
The Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices
(ACIP), which is the vaccine advisory panel for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently recommended that older adults receive two vaccines to protect themselves from pneumonia. The committee recommended that adults age 65 and older receive both the Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23 vaccines to protect against the pneumococcal bacteria that cause pneumonia. Each vaccine works in a different way, and both vaccines offer broader protection. Additional protection is especially important for older adults, who are more vulnerable to serious infections. Medicare Part B will cover the both vaccines as part of the preventive care benefit.
To read the full story from MedlinePlus, click here. To read about Medicare’s coverage of pneumonia vaccines,click here.
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