A Landmark Law Hopes to Improve Alzheimer's Care in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker last week signed a law designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease in the state, reports the Boston Globe . Under the law, physicians, physician assistants, and nurses must undergo training in diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia before they can acquire or renew their licenses. In addition, physicians who have diagnosed Alzheimer's are required to inform a family member or legal representative of that person about the diagnosis. Furthermore, all hospitals must develop and deploy a plan for recognizing and managing persons with dementia by no later than Oct. 1, 2021. The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association's Patricia M. Noga says hospitals had already started working on their Alzheimer's strategies even before the law was finalized. "No other state in the country has something like this," notes Daniel C. Zotos of the Alzheimer's Association's Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter. He cites a survey of Medicare beneficiaries estimating that 50 percent of Americans with Alzheimer's have not been diagnosed, and half of those with a diagnosis have not been informed about it.