Brain Health
Strengthening Payment and Care Supports for Brain Health
Improving Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease Care
Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to double by 2060. Yet Alzheimer’s care remains fragmented, with diagnosis often delayed and both medical and non-medical interventions out of reach for many. The recent availability of early-stage disease modifying treatments, targeted medical and lifestyle management, and the development of diagnostic biomarkers can shift this landscape — supporting a health system better equipped to deliver Alzheimer’s treatment that maintains quality of life over the long-term.
By The Numbers
13.8 million
number of Americans expected to be living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2060 ¹
75%
estimated percentage of undiagnosed dementia cases globally ²
3x
average per-person Medicare payments for dementias compared to beneficiaries without these conditions ¹
$360 billion
share of Americans who face barriers accessing specialty care ¹
40%
approximate share of specialty clinicians participating in value-based care payment models ³
Reimaging Alzheimer’s Care for an Aging Nation
Accelerator initiatives aim to fundamentally reimagine the way we diagnose, treat, and pay for Alzheimer’s disease care — shifting our system from reactive and fragmented care to proactive and coordinated care. We will take a data-driven and sustainable approach that prioritizes:
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Identifying the major barriers to early diagnosis and care, and the opportunities to overcome them.
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Strengthening early intervention and management by developing best practices gained from expert stakeholder engagement — from clinicians and payers to policymakers and patients.
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Building a preliminary care and payment model for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease that is patient- and caregiver-centric and reduces the burden on primary care providers.
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Evaluating the model to identify areas of improvement or other uses in the brain health space.
Duke-Margolis Project Team
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Beena Bhuiyan Khan, MSc
Research Director for Payment and Coverage Policy
Montgomery Smith, MPH
Policy Research Associate
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Nitzan Arad, JD
Area Lead for Drug Pricing and Competition Policy
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Marianne Hamilton Lopez, PhD
Senior Research Director for Biomedical Innovation
West Health Project Team
Amy Stuck, PhD, RN
Senior Director, Value-based Care
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Claire Andrews, MSG
Program Manager, Value Based Care
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Niamh Brennan
Research Associate, West Health Policy Center
Kevin Biese, MD, MAT
Consultant