Screening for Alzheimer’s Disease in Vermont Primary Care Practice

Abstract

Introduction: • Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a form of progressive dementia that affects 5.3 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the US. • Age is a major risk factor for disease , and 1 in 8 Americans over 65 can expect to develop AD. • The U.S. healthcare system spends $172 billion/year on patients with AD and dementia, more than half of the Medicare budget. This cost is estimated to increase to over$1 trillion by 2050. • In 2003, the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) concluded that screening older adults for dementia is ineffective due to insufficient means of preventing or slowing its progression. • In 2011, the National Institute on Aging published new diagnostic criteria for AD. • In accordance with these guidelines the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released rules for the new Annual Wellness Visit that include the detection of cognitive impairment. • Our goal was to identify the attitudes and practices of primary care physicians (PCPs) in Vermont (VT) related to screening for AD and dementia.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1063/thumbnail.jp