Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (Jan 2020)

Diagnosed prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Medicare Advantage plans

  • Eric Jutkowitz,
  • Julie P.W. Bynum,
  • Susan L. Mitchell,
  • Noelle M. Cocoros,
  • Oren Shapira,
  • Kevin Haynes,
  • Vinit P. Nair,
  • Cheryl N. McMahill‐Walraven,
  • Richard Platt,
  • Ellen P. McCarthy

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12048
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction One‐third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA). Yet, little is known about MA beneficiaries diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD‐related dementias (AD/ADRD). Methods We calculated the prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnoses in 2014 and 2016 in three MA plans. We determined the demographic characteristics of beneficiaries diagnosed with AD/ADRD, and whether they disenrolled from the MA plan for any reason within 364 days from the index date. Results In 2014 and 2016, the overall prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnoses was 5.6% and 6.5%, respectively. In 2016, AD/ADRD beneficiaries were on average 82.4 (SD = 7.4) years of age, 61.8% female, and had multiple comorbidities. By 364 days post‐index date, 32% of beneficiaries with AD/ADRD had disenrolled from their plan. The demographic characteristics of 2014 beneficiaries with diagnosed AD/ADRD were similar to their 2016 counterparts. Discussion The prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnosis in MA is lower than rates reported in Medicare fee‐for‐service.

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