Raise Awareness About Mental Health

May is Mental Health Month. This year’s theme, Pathways to Wellness —calls attention to strategies and approaches that help all Americans achieve wellness and good mental and overall health. Just as you check your patients’ blood pressure and recommend appropriate screenings, it's a good idea to take periodic readings of their emotional well-being also. Medicare provides payment for several services that can help you check your patients’ emotional well-being.

Mental Health Services Payable by Medicare:

Depression Screening: Medicare covers annual screening for adults for depression in the primary care setting that have staff-assisted depression care supports in place to assure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and follow-up.

• For the purposes of this screening benefit, Medicare defines a primary care setting as one in which there is provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. Emergency departments, inpatient hospital settings, ambulatory surgical centers, independent diagnostic testing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and hospice are not considered primary care settings under this definition.
• For more information, refer to the Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) booklet, Screening for Depression.

Preventive Visits:

• Medicare provides payment for:
• The Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE), commonly referred to as the “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit – available one time when the beneficiary is new to Medicare (within the first 12 months of Medicare Part B enrollment), and
• The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) – available once per year if the beneficiary has been enrolled in Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months.
• For more information about the elements included in these preventive visits, refer to the following MLN quick reference charts:
  •  The ABCs of Providing the Initial Preventive Physical Examination
  • The ABCs of Providing the Annual Wellness Visit 

For additional information, visit:

·   MLN Preventive Services Educational Products for Health Professionals

·   CMS Prevention website

·   Mental Health America – Mental Health Month sponsor