SAFE Act

Key Points

• If a Medicare patient fell in the past year, their yearly wellness visit would have to include a fall-risk check and fall-prevention help.
• Physical therapists and occupational therapists could provide a separate fall-risk assessment and fall-prevention services for these patients.
• Medicare’s “welcome to Medicare” preventive exam would also cover outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy for people who fell in the past year.
• These changes would start for visits and exams on or after January 1, 2026.
• Starting January 1, 2027, Health and Human Services would send Congress a yearly report on falls among people age 65+ who got care for fall-related pain or injury.