Learn About the AAA Screening Medicare Benefit

Your patients may be eligible for a free one-time Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening as part of their Welcome to Medicare physical!

Medicare is offering a one-time, free screening for AAA to qualified seniors as part of its Welcome to Medicare physical. This physical must be conducted within the first six months of enrollment in Medicare. Men who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their life, and men and women with a family history of AAA qualify for the Medicare screening.

* The Medicare AAA screening benefit became a law on February 8, 2006, as the Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently (SAAAVE) Act, a provision of S.1932, Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, also known as Budget Reconciliation. The law became effective January 1, 2007.

To download a copy of the AAA Screening Medicare Benefit brochure:
http://www.ultimatesaaave.com/eprise/main/__other/ultimatesaaave/medicare_brochure.pdf

To review the SVU professional performance guideline on AAA Screening:
http://www.svunet.org/positions/ScreeningforAAA.pdf

To review all SVU professional performance guidelines:
http://www.svunet.org/positions/index.htm

CMS downloads:
To take to MD: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM5235.pdf or
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/Expanded_Benefits.pdf