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The Role of Medicare Insurance Coverage Type in Annual Wellness Visits: A Comparison between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plan
Zhang Zhang. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2025
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Background The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWVs) was introduced in 2011 as a preventive services visit. AWV uptake has been increasing but remains disproportionately low among vulnerable populations in Traditional Medicare (TM). However, less is known about the differential uptake of the AWV by Medicare insurance coverage type ‐ a consequence of the increasing beneficiary enrollment shifts from TM to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. This study aims to quantify the differential effects of Medicare insurance coverage type (MA versus TM) on AWV uptake for key subpopulations. Method We used 20% nationally representative Medicare insurance claims data from 2018‐2019. Probit models assessed the likelihood of AWV uptake, with subgroup analyses by age, race/ethnicity, dual eligibility, chronic conditions, and ADRD status. We included 8,799,206 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older, among whom 41.2% were enrolled in MA, and 58.8% were enrolled in TM. The outcome is whether to have an AWV; the independent variable is the Medicare insurance coverage type. Result Over 1/3 (37.3%) of beneficiaries received an AWV in 2019. MA enrollees were 4.4 percentage points more likely to receive an AWV than TM enrollees ( p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed higher AWV uptake in MA across all key subgroups of interest (all p <0.001), with the largest differences among the oldest‐old adults aged above 85+ (5.8 percentage points), dual eligibles (11.8 percentage points), Black beneficiaries (9.0 percentage points), and those with ADRD (6.6 percentage points). Conclusion Enrollment in an MA plan is associated with a higher probability of AWV uptake, particularly among vulnerable populations from racial and ethnic minorities, dual eligibility, and those diagnosed with ADRD. These findings highlight MA's potential role in promoting preventive care and health equity. Future studies need to examine whether higher AWV uptake leads to improved patient outcomes in MA plans.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Zhang, Z. (2025). The Role of Medicare Insurance Coverage Type in Annual Wellness Visits: A Comparison between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plan. Alzheimer's & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70860_107711
Vancouver
Zhang Z. The Role of Medicare Insurance Coverage Type in Annual Wellness Visits: A Comparison between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plan. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz70860_107711.
BibTeX
@article{zhang2025-5bdbdeb7,
author = {Zhang, Zhang},
title = {{The Role of Medicare Insurance Coverage Type in Annual Wellness Visits: A Comparison between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plan}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz70860_107711},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70860_107711}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- This study aims to quantify the differential effects of Medicare insurance coverage type (MA versus TM) on AWV uptake for key subpopulations.
- Result Over 1/3 (37.3%) of beneficiaries received an AWV in 2019.
- Conclusion Enrollment in an MA plan is associated with a higher probability of AWV uptake, particularly among vulnerable populations from racial and ethnic minorities, dual eligibility, and those diagnosed with ADRD.
- These findings highlight MA's potential role in promoting preventive care and health equity.
Why it matters
This study found that Medicare Advantage enrollees were 4.4 percentage points more likely to receive an Annual Wellness Visit than traditional Medicare enrollees, including among those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. It contains no findings on treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease itself.
Study details
- Effect size41.2%; 58.8%; 37.3%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 32/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Zhang Zhang: h-index 5 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 32 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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