In this episode of The Exam Room, the conversation gets tactical with real-world strategies to improve outcomes in Medicare Annual Wellness Visits and diabetes management. Dr. Darlene Melk shares how her health center significantly boosted wellness visit completion rates by training medical assistants, removing scheduling barriers, and aligning incentives to drive results. The team also dives into challenges like provider fatigue, Medicare eligibility checks, and how operational leadership helped pave the way for success. Later, the focus turns to diabetes care — exploring how clinical pharmacists, patient education, and targeted outreach to high-risk patients are making an impact. The episode also highlights innovative solutions for cost and medication access, including an internal patient support fund that pairs practical support with compassionate care.

🎯 Key topics include: Increasing Medicare Annual Wellness Visit rates

Reducing barriers through MA engagement and workflow redesign

Managing provider fatigue and Medicare compliance Team-based approaches to diabetes control

Outreach strategies for high-risk patients Addressing cost barriers with internal patient assistance programs

Whether you’re leading operations or working directly with patients, this episode offers powerful insights into how healthcare teams can close care gaps and deliver smarter, more equitable care.

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