Cognitive Screening Before the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit

Abstract

Dementia is a devastating illness with increasing prevalence, possibly due to the pervasiveness of untreated modifiable risk factors. While early identification and treatment can improve outcomes, few standardized screening protocols exist. Primary care is uniquely positioned to implement such a screening program. This quality improvement (QI) project implemented dementia screenings in the primary care setting to identify cognitive decline for patients ≥ 60 years old. Statistically significant differences were found in the screening rates between the baseline and implementation groups. Implementing a standardized dementia screening within the primary care setting resulted in improved identification of patients with cognitive changes.