CMS Explored AI Use in Medicare Wellness Visits
Federal regulators are weighing whether artificial intelligence could help modernize preventive care for Medicare beneficiaries.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Senior Health
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This summer, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a new physician payment rule investigating the integration of AI tools into annual wellness visits. The agency is currently evaluating how technology might transition these checkups from static events into continuous preventive care.
Why it matters
CMS aims to identify regulatory barriers that prevent the use of clinical AI, which could potentially reduce administrative burdens for providers and improve longitudinal health tracking for the roughly 50% of seniors who use the annual wellness visit.
A report issued by CMS this summer identifies that 50% of seniors utilize the annual wellness visit, a figure balanced against mixed historical evidence regarding the visit’s impact on clinical outcomes. The utility of incorporating AI into these encounters is currently being assessed.
The players
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The federal agency that administers the Medicare program and sets policies for physician payments and care delivery standards.
American Academy of Family Physicians
A national medical society representing family physicians that advocates for primary care clinical standards and administrative policies.
The details
AI tools under consideration would function by collecting beneficiary-reported information and proactively identifying patients who require additional health assessments. These tools would also generate suggested follow-up steps for clinicians to review, theoretically shifting the wellness visit into a more continuous care model. However, professional organizations have raised concerns about how these changes might impact care fragmentation and clinical accountability.
Timeline
CMS issued a proposed physician payment rule during the summer of 2026.
A CMS official addressed the role of AI at the Health Datapalooza conference on September 25, 2026.
The final payment regulation is expected to be released around November 1, 2026.
Health Landscape
This proposal sits within the broader evolution of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which is increasingly focused on integrating digital health tools to improve preventive care efficiency. It represents a significant shift toward automated longitudinal monitoring in a system that has historically relied on manual, episodic assessment.
While these policy changes are currently in the proposal phase, they may eventually shift how your physician manages your health records and follow-up care. It is worth discussing with your doctor how your annual wellness visits are currently structured and if they anticipate any changes to their preventive care workflow.
The takeaway
The move toward AI-assisted wellness visits signals a potential shift toward more continuous, data-driven preventive monitoring for seniors. Keep an eye on future communication from your healthcare provider regarding how your next wellness checkup might be conducted.
What happens next
CMS is scheduled to release the final version of the physician payment regulation on or about November 1, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the current guidelines governing preventive care, see the Senior Health section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MedPage Today.
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