Capito, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Bolster Primary Care Training on Dementia Detection and Treatment

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to bolster training for primary care providers so they can better diagnose Alzheimer's and other dementia and deliver high-quality, person-centered care in community-based settings.

The legislation, known as the Accelerating Access to Dementia & Alzheimer's Provider Training (AADAPT) Act, would utilize virtual continuing education to provide additional opportunities for Alzheimer's and dementia education and training to more primary care providers. Doing so would improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's, as well as other forms of dementia.

"As new technologies continue to emerge to detect and treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, we must use all available tools to train medical providers, especially those in primary care. This will allow us to provide timely diagnosis and quality care for those at risk of and living with these diseases," Senator Capito said. "I'm pleased to introduce the AADAPT Act, which will expand the existing successful Project ECHO program to provide this important training. This is especially important for rural states like West Virginia where access to specialized care is often limited."

"Detecting Alzheimer's and other dementias early can reduce stress for patients and families, lower unnecessary health costs, and improve access to care," Senator Klobuchar said. "Primary care providers have been calling for more training resources to improve early detection, accurate diagnosis, and care. This bipartisan legislation will deliver those tools and improve patients' and caregivers' quality of life and health outcomes."

"For people living with Alzheimer's and their families, delays in diagnosis often mean missed opportunities for care, planning and support," Rachel Conant, senior vice president of public policy at the Alzheimer's Association and executive director of AIM, said. "The bipartisan AADAPT Act is needed to ensure primary care providers have the tools and training to recognize dementia earlier and guide patients through the care journey within their own communities. On behalf of families nationwide, we thank Sens. Capito, Klobuchar, Moran, Booker, Sullivan, Kim, Lankford and Cantwell for advancing this important legislation and for their continued commitment to addressing Alzheimer's and other dementia."

BACKGROUND:

Senator Capito has long been an outspoken advocate for resources, care, and early detection technology for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. As chairman and a longtime member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), Senator Capito has worked to direct increased funding towards research efforts. Additionally this Congress, Senator Capito has introduced legislation that would improve early detection and diagnosis and provide for Medicare coverage of blood-based dementia screening tests.

The following senators joined Senators Capito and Klobuchar in introducing the legislation: Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska, Andy Kim (D-N.J.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

A similar version of the bill, H.R. 3747, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).

Full text of the AADAPT Act is available here.

# # #