SAFE Act

This bill makes it easier for Medicare patients who have fallen to get help preventing another fall. If a doctor says you fell in the past year, your annual wellness visit can now include a fall risk check and fall prevention services, and these can be done by a physical therapist or an occupational therapist . It also updates the “Welcome to Medicare” visit so that, if you fell in the past year, you can get outpatient physical or occupational therapy as part of that preventive care .

These changes start January 1, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, the federal health department must report each year on how many people age 65 and older had falls that led to treatment, and how those numbers change over time .

• Who is affected: People on Medicare, especially those 65+ who had a fall in the previous year
• What changes: Fall risk checks and prevention services can be included in the annual wellness visit; the “Welcome to Medicare” visit can include outpatient physical or occupational therapy for those who fell
• When it starts: Care changes begin Jan 1, 2026; yearly fall reports begin Jan 1, 2027