NIH Examines Early-Onset Alzheimer's
As part of a study aimed at better understanding early-onset Alzheimer's disease, researchers are recruiting the adult children of individuals diagnosed with inherited AD. The volunteers will undergo genetic analysis, cognitive testing, and neuroimaging, as well as provide blood and cerebral spinal fluid samples, which to build an international database. The Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a 6-year, $16 million effort aimed at identifying the sequence of brain changes in the early-onset form of the disease before symptoms occur. The study involves researchers from sites in the United States, England, and Australia. “By sharing data within the network, we hope to advance our knowledge of the brain mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's, eventually leading to targets for therapies that can delay or even prevent progress of the disease,” Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the National Institute of Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement. More information about the study is at
AAN Hails Successful Year on the Hill
Neurologists and their patients realized significant victories on Capitol Hill this year, according to the American Academy of Neurology. In October, President Bush signed the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act (S. 2162), which included the establishment of between four and six epilepsy centers of excellence within the Department of Veterans Affairs. And over the summer, Congress overrode a presidential veto to cancel a 10.6% cut in Medicare physician payments. The legislation (H.R. 6331) also gave physicians a 1.1% pay increase for 2009. But more work will be needed over the next year, said the AAN. The pay fix passed by Congress this summer did not address the sustainable growth rate formula, which ties physician payments to the gross domestic product. As a result, physicians can expect to face a 21% payment cut in 2010. In addition, legislation to promote stroke prevention and early treatment passed the House but was stalled in the Senate. Congress also failed to approve increased funding for the National Institutes of Health in 2008.
Eligibility for Special Needs Plans
Medicare officials have identified 15 chronic conditions that would make individuals eligible for enrollment in a Chronic Care Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan. The conditions were selected by a panel of advisors as being medically complex, substantially disabling, or life threatening, and as having a high risk of hospitalization or other adverse outcome. The conditions are: certain neurologic disorders, stroke, chronic alcohol and other drug dependence, certain autoimmune disorders, cancer excluding precancer conditions, certain cardiovascular disorders, chronic heart failure, dementia, diabetes mellitus, end-stage liver disease, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, certain severe hematologic disorders, HIV/AIDS, certain chronic lung disorders, and certain chronic and disabling mental health conditions. The list is part of new guidelines for the special needs plans that will go into effect in 2010. By selecting the chronic conditions eligible for enrollment in the Medicare Advantage special needs plans, officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they are trying to ensure that the plans stay focused on a specific population.
HHS Releases Quality Measures
The Department of Health and Human Services has released its first-ever inventory of the quality measures its agencies use for reporting, payment, and quality improvement. The HHS measure inventory, which is available at the National Quality Measures Clearinghouse, a Web site run by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is designed to advance collaboration within the quality measurement community and to synchronize measurement, according to the HHS. The inventory is at
American Patients Skip Care
U.S. chronic disease patients are far more likely than are patients in seven other countries to forgo care because of costs, according to a study from the Commonwealth Fund. More than half of chronically ill patients in the U.S. did not get recommended care, fill prescriptions, or see a doctor when sick because of costs, compared with 7%–36% in the seven other countries studied. In addition, patients in the U.S. experience the highest rates of medical errors, care coordination problems, and high out-of-pocket costs, the study found. The eight-country survey also reported that U.S. patients are significantly more likely to call for fundamental change in their country's health care system, with one-third saying the system needs to be rebuilt completely. The Commonwealth Fund polled patients in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom along with patients in this country.