Medicare annual wellness visits, early Alzheimer's diagnosis, and reducing care gaps
Annual wellness visit policy: Impact on disparities in early dementia diagnosis and quality of healthcare for Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's Disease and Its Related Dementias
This project looks at whether Medicare's free Annual Wellness Visits help people with Alzheimer's and related dementias get diagnosed earlier and reduce care gaps across race and gender.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Med Br Galveston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Galveston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308733 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will combine national Medicare claims and linked aging survey data to see how Annual Wellness Visits relate to earlier recognition of Alzheimer's and related dementias. They will use the 4Ms framework—what matters, mentation, mobility, and medication—to examine medication safety, fall risk, and advance care planning. The team will compare outcomes across race, ethnicity, and gender to understand whether AWVs reduce disparities. The study uses a convergent parallel mixed-methods design (large-scale quantitative analyses plus qualitative work) over five years to produce practical findings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, especially those eligible for or who have received Annual Wellness Visits, are the focus of this work.
Not a fit: People not enrolled in Medicare, residents of nursing homes, or those with cognitive problems unrelated to ADRD may not receive direct benefit from this project's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help Medicare patients with dementia get diagnosed sooner, face fewer unsafe medications and falls, and receive more timely advance care planning.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies on Annual Wellness Visits and dementia have shown mixed results, with some suggesting benefits for earlier recognition and others finding little effect.
Where this research is happening
Galveston, United States
- University of Texas Med Br Galveston — Galveston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tzeng, Huey-Ming — University of Texas Med Br Galveston
- Study coordinator: Tzeng, Huey-Ming
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.