(Credit: hopkinsmedicine.org)
A new clinical trial will likely lead to a change in physician management of dementia patients, said Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. David Wolk.
The $100 million Imaging Dementia – Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) study, funded by Medicare, is testing the clinical value of PET scans, which can currently cost patients $5,000, according to an article published on www.philly.com. Medicare decided in 2013 not to cover the scans in most clinical cases, even though they can identify misformed protein found in Alzheimer’s patients. The decision could be overruled if IDEAS shows that more scans could lead to fewer expensive hospitalizations.
“I am confident that, at the end of this study, we will have amassed sufficient data to assess whether amyloid imaging has a positive impact on patient outcomes leading to expansion of beneficiary access to this important procedure beyond the IDEAS Study,” said Maria Carrillo, a co-chair of the IDEAS Study and Chief Science Officer at the Alzheimer’s Association.
Wolk said that there is often “a lot of denial” on the part of patients and their families surrounding dementia care.
“Having the label and knowing where things are going, I find that opens up families,” Wolk told www.philly.com.