Incomplete Preventive Services Email from Medicare

I recently (mid-July) got an “Important Message” email from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which had the months from July 2012 to June 2013 blocked out along with a reminder that my annual wellness visit could be scheduled for September. This is a handy prompt and it was accurate in that this was one year after my last such check-up. But it is also quite incomplete. This is because men my age (65 and up) are also eligible for annual colorectal cancer screening, prostrate cancer screening, HIV screening and, of course, the annual flu shot, not to mention many other services if you are pre-diabetic, etc. (All these available for 2012 are on my section on Self-Counsel Press’s website.)

I have noticed in the past that MyMedicare.gov (where you sign into your personal account) has never had info about preventive services totally correct, and their excuse seems a little lame. But it’s a bit more accurate than the email, because it did note that I’m due for a prostrate test. (Perhaps the email can only handle one service per month?) So when you get your email, use it not as a comprehensive list, but as a reminder to line up and get all the preventive, screening and educational services you are eligible for.