This bill adds falls risk checks and fall prevention services to Medicare benefits for people who have fallen in the past year. It changes the Medicare annual wellness visit rules so a physician can have a physical therapist or occupational therapist do a separate falls risk assessment and provide fall prevention services. It also adds outpatient physical and occupational therapy to the initial preventive physical exam for people a physician says fell in the prior calendar year. The changes take effect for services furnished on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to send Congress an annual report, starting January 1, 2027, on the number of falls reported for people age 65 and older who received treatment for pain or injury from a fall in the previous year.
If you are a Medicare beneficiary who has fallen in the past year, this bill would let a physician have a physical therapist or occupational therapist perform a falls risk assessment and deliver fall prevention services during the annual wellness visit. It would also allow outpatient physical and occupational therapy to be part of the initial preventive physical exam for people a physician identifies as having fallen. The new coverage rules start January 1, 2026. HHS will report yearly on fall-related treatment counts for people 65 and older.
No publicly available information on federal costs, budgetary effects, or payment rates is included in the bill text. The bill requires changes to covered services and annual reporting, but it does not include cost estimates.
Supporters want to add formal falls risk assessments and fall prevention services to Medicare visits for people who have fallen. The bill names physical therapists and occupational therapists as providers who can deliver these services. Proponents also require annual data reporting to track falls among people 65 and older who receive treatment for fall-related pain or injury.
No publicly available information on opponents' views or objections is included in the bill text or provided metadata.