The Affordable Health Care Act annual wellness visits: the effectiveness of a nurse-run clinic in promoting adherence to mammogram and colonoscopy recommendations.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the nurse-run annual wellness visit (AWV) in improving adherence to cancer screening recommendations for colonoscopies and/or mammograms.


BACKGROUND
The Affordable Health Care Act provides Medicare beneficiaries access to AWVs. Nurse-run AWVs offer individualized education, reinforce health screening recommendations, and may enhance the patients' intent to complete the screenings.


METHODS
A nonexperimental comparative study was conducted using data collected from chart audits comparing patients who only attended the AWV, patients who attended the AWV linked with a physician visit, and patients who have not attended an AWV.


RESULTS
Patients who attended the AWV showed greater adherence to mammogram completion regardless of the link to the physician follow-up visit. Differences in adherence to colonoscopy recommendations were not significant, likely because of the low number of colonoscopies reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurse-run AWV clinics are associated with adherence to mammograms and show promise of increasing colonoscopy compliance.
Author Affiliations: Clinic Nurse Manager (Dr Tetuan), Annual Wellness Visit Nurse (Ms Ebberts), Staffing Manager (Ms Wendling), Stormont-Vail HealthCare, Cotton-O'Neil Clinic, Topeka; Associate Professor (Dr Ohm), School of Nursing, Baker University, Topeka; Manager, Oncology Research and Program Development (Dr Herynk), Stormont-Vail HealthCare, Cotton-O'Neil Cancer Center, Topeka; Professor, Statistics (Dr Mosier), Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas.
Theresa M
TM
Tetuan
Ruth
R
Ohm
Matthew H
MH
Herynk
Mendy
M
Ebberts
Toni
T
Wendling
Michael C
MC
Mosier
D000368:Aged; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009819:Office Visits; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States