Health Mart Pharmacy - SENIOR HEALTH & WELLNESS

When you sign up for Medicare Part B coverage, you are eligible for a one-time review of your health: the "Welcome to Medicare" exam. This process allows your doctor to provide you with education and counseling about preventive services you may need, such as updated shots or preventive screenings. The medical exam will include a review of your medical history and a blood-pressure check. You also will be given a checklist or written plan for future screenings or services you may need.

It is important for seniors to stay healthy. That’s why the Medicare program provides other additional preventive services to beneficiaries – some are available to beneficiaries at little or no cost. An overview of Medicare’s preventive services is below. For more details about these services, and information about their potential costs, visit the “Preventive Services” section of Medicare.gov.

Health Mart is complementing this list with a sampling of our content, which is available on our website’s newly expanded Health & Wellness Center. We hope you find the articles informative and useful in your quest to stay fit and healthy land to learn more about common – and often, preventable and treatable – health conditions that could affect you, or someone you love. Don’t forget to ask your doctor for their wellness advice, too!

And remember, you always can turn to your Health Mart pharmacist for learning more about the Medicare program, especially Medicare Part D, and to inquire about any of the following health conditions for which Medicare provides preventive screenings:

Cardiovascular Screening

Smoking

Cancer Tests

CANCER TESTS

Breast Cancer Screening: All women with Medicare who are age 40 and older can get a screening mammogram every 12 months that will be covered by Medicare. Medicare also pays for one baseline mammogram for women with Medicare between ages 35 and 39.

Cervical and Vaginal Cancer Screening: All women with Medicare can receive a Pap test and pelvic exam once every 24 months, which will be covered by Medicare. However, if you are of childbearing age and have had an abnormal Pap test within the past 36 months, or if you are at high risk for cervical or vaginal cancer, Medicare will cover a Pap test and pelvic exam every 12 months.

Colon Cancer Screening: Colorectal cancer is usually found in men and women age 50 or older, and the risk of getting it increases with age. Medicare covers colorectal screening tests to help find precancerous polyps (growths in the colon), so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. There is no minimum age to have a colonoscopy.

According to Medicare.gov, this is how often the following colon cancer screening services are covered by Medicare:
- Fecal Occult Blood Test: Once every 12 months
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: Once every 48 months
- Screening Colonoscopy: Once every 24 months (if you're at high risk); once every 10 years, but not within 48 months of a screening sigmoidoscopy, if you're not at high risk)
- Barium Enema - Your doctor can decide to use this test instead of a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. This test is covered every 24 months if you are at high risk for colorectal cancer and every 48 months if you aren't at high risk

Prostate Cancer Screening (PSA): This type of screening is available to all men with Medicare who are over age 50 (coverage for this test begins the day after your 50th birthday). Prostate cancer often can be detected early by testing the amount of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) in the blood. Your doctor also can perform a rectal exam (digital rectal examination). Medicare covers both tests – once every 12 months.