FRIDAY, July 31, 2020 — A study has failed to show that brain scans to check for Alzheimer’s<\/a> disease save health care costs for Medicare, the Associated Press<\/i> reported Thursday.<\/p>\n The finding is from a $100 million study involving more than 25,000 Medicare patients.<\/p>\n Those who support Medicare coverage for the scans hope to show that they are beneficial even if they don’t save money.<\/p>\n Diagnosing the disease can help families plan for the future even though there is no effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s<\/a>, researcher Dr. Gil Rabinovici of the University of California, San Francisco, told the AP<\/i>.<\/p>\n A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the AP<\/i> that the agency looks at all data on risks and benefits. A formal request would have to be filed for the agency to reconsider its 2013 decision to not cover the scans except for research and in special circumstances.<\/p>\n More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s<\/a>, which can only be diagnosed after death.<\/p>\n PET brain can detect signs when patients are alive, but they cost $4,000 to $5,000 and insurers won’t cover them because it’s not known if they benefit patients.<\/p>\n For the study, nearly 12,700 people with dementia<\/a> or mild cognitive impairment, were given scans and compared with Medicare patients not given scans.<\/p>\n Results from the first 4,000 participants suggested the scans diagnosed Alzheimer’s<\/a> and altered counseling or care in up to 60% of cases.<\/p>\n The study looked at whether the scans save money by decreasing hospitalizations and emergency room visits. The theory was that if a scan identifies that someone has Alzheimer’s, caregivers can help prevent problems like patients not taking their medications.<\/p>\n But the goal of lowering hospitalizations by 10% in the year after the scan wasn’t met. Rates of hospitalizations were 24% among patients scanned and 25% among those who weren’t.<\/p>\n Among those scanned, however, fewer hospitalizations occurred for those with Alzheimer’s, the AP<\/i> reports.<\/p>\n Maria Carrillo, the Alzheimer’s Association’s chief science officer, told the AP<\/i> that these findings suggest that caregivers “weren’t panicking” when symptoms of Alzheimer’s appeared and didn’t rush to the hospital.<\/p>\n The results of the study were scheduled to be presented July 30 at the online Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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