UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Applauds Final 2017 Medicare Fee Schedule That Includes Assessment and Care-Planning for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

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WASHINGTON, DC—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias will now be able to access critical assessment and care-planning services and have it paid for as part of their Medicare benefit.

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2), which advocated for the assessment and care-planning provisions and other caregiver benefits, applauds the decision of CMS to include those benefits in its final fee schedule for 2017. Similar to the language in the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act supported by UsA2, the final fee schedule will afford people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their physicians a way to monitor the progression of their disease and symptoms and to provide them with precious guidance about actions they can take going forward in their care journey.

“Despite the fact that there are no disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s, it’s encouraging that people will have a more seamless way to learn about and access care and lifestyle interventions that may mitigate the effect of Alzheimer’s and dementias, in coordination with their physician,” said UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder and Chairman George Vradenburg. “Just as we have pushed for the passing of the HOPE Act, we are eager to realize the benefits for families and caregivers promised by the new provisions included in the Medicare Fee Schedule.”

UsA2 also recommends extending coverage to include evidence-based and cost-effective caregiver support and counseling services for informal (non-paid) caregivers, a concept exemplified in the Alzheimer’s Beneficiary and Caregiver Support Act (S. 3137/H.R. 5681). Caregiver supports would enhance the ability of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias to enjoy a higher quality of life at home for longer periods of time.

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UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is an innovative non-profit organization demanding – and delivering – a solution to Alzheimer’s. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure – accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments.

Founded in 2010, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has worked across sectors to: (1) secure the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025 and help secure nearly $500 million in additional public funding for Alzheimer’s research over the past few years; (2) drive global efforts that resulted in the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, the G7 group, to embrace a similar 2025 goal and to call for greater levels of research investment and collaboration; and (3) forge industry commitments to improve efficiencies for an expedited drug discovery and approval process.

CONTACT:
Tim Tassa
202.263.2580
[email protected]