Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions we hear most about Alzheimer’s policy, care, and our work.

What is the Alzheimer's Policy Working Group?

The Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group is a 501(c)(3) organization that unites frontline clinicians in primary and specialty care to craft practical solutions that can help patients and families. Its insights and recommendations flow from members’ experience building interdisciplinary teams and developing new care models that improve early diagnosis and care for Alzheimer’s disease. Clinicians participate voluntarily, identify solutions by consensus, and guide the group’s editorial direction. 

The Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group is composed of interdisciplinary clinicians from leading academic medical centers and practices across the country. Members include neurologists, geriatricians, family physicians, and other primary care leaders from institutions such as the University of Kansas Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown, Wake Forest University, the University of Washington, and Indiana University. Together, we’re working to improve Alzheimer’s detection and care by communicating evidence-based, scalable policy solutions. Participation in the working group is voluntary, and its stated opinions reflect members’ individual views and not those of their employers. 

More than seven million Americans are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s. Expanding and improving access to diagnosis and care is an urgent public health priority. Cognitive impairment is routinely missed during primary care visits as many clinicians don’t have the time or training to conduct proper tests. Patients with signs of cognitive impairment are often referred to specialists with wait times that can exceed a year. By the time a diagnosis is made, care options are limited and costs higher. Policy changes can empower primary care providers to detect Alzheimer’s early—through better training, updated billing codes, and broader access to new tools like digital cognitive assessments and blood-based biomarkers. 

The Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group recommends practical, patient-centered solutions such as:

  • Empowering primary care to diagnose and manage Alzheimer’s through better training, updated billing codes, and new tools like digital cognitive assessments and blood-based biomarkers.
  • Promoting prevention and early detection by integrating lifestyle interventions and risk management into routine care.
  • Incentivizing team-based care models that enable nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and “brain-health navigators” to guide patients and families through diagnosis, treatment, and care planning.
  • Encouraging CMS and health systems to adopt sustainable payment models that make early detection in primary care the norm rather than the exception.

Programs highlighted under “New Models of Care” are supported in part through grants from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. Our hope is that recommendations presented by the Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group can improve patient care today and accelerate the creation of financially sound, scalable, comprehensive care pathways for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Reach out to us at info@alzpolicy.org. 

Unanswered questions?

Reach out to our team and we’ll do our best to answer any questions.

Connect with members of the Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group for expert commentary, data insights, or background on the evolving landscape of Alzheimer’s care and policy.