Medicare Physical Activity and Nutrition Risk Assessment

Summary:

Beginning in 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) supports clinicians conducting a Physical Activity and Nutrition Risk Assessment for Medicare patients. This American Society on Aging Generations Now blog describes how the change is good news for older adults because when physicians are incentivized to evaluate their patients’ eating habits, nutrition status, and related health risks as a part of routine care, nutrition moves from being a “nice to have” aspect of care to a core component of wellness or other office visits.

Key Takeaways:

• Anyone can be impacted by poor nutrition, and it may not be immediately obvious to older adults or those who care for them
• Many factors contribute to nutrition risks, including diseases, medical treatments, functional health, social/mental health, and quality of diet/food access
• The results from a Nutrition Risk Assessment can help clinicians make better-informed diagnoses, more appropriate treatment plans, and clearly supported patient referrals

Related Questions & Answers

• Is the Physical Activity and Nutrition Risk Assessment part of the routine screening conducted prior to patient visits?
  No, it is a risk assessment conducted during a visit for patients with known or suspected physical activity and/or nutrition needs.
• During what type of visits can the Physical Activity and Nutrition Risk Assessment be administered?
  The Physical Activity and Nutrition Risk Assessment is an optional addition (without patient cost sharing) to Medicare Annual Wellness Visits and an optional addition (with patient cost sharing) to Evaluation and Management (E/M) visits, behavioral health visits, psychiatric diagnostic evaluations, or Health Behavioral Assessment Intervention (HBAI) services.
• What tools can be used to complete the Nutrition Risk Assessment?
  CMS has identified several examples of standardized, evidence-based tools for nutrition and diet assessment. In addition, there are multiple validated nutrition assessment tools available to identify malnutrition.
• How does the Nutrition Risk Assessment help target appropriate nutrition interventions?
  Administering a Nutrition Risk Assessment can help identify specific nutrition needs, providing insight into which interventions—including community-based nutrition programs and services--might best address a person’s particular nutrition risks. 

Disclosures:

• Alissa M Deal is an MD candidate with the Class of 2026 at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio
• Dominique R Williams, MD, MPH, is the adult nutrition medical director for the Nutrition Division of Abbott in Columbus, Ohio