A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for certain cognitive impairment detection in the Medicare annual wellness visit and initial preventative physical examination.
Sponsored By: Senator Shelley Capito
Introduced
Summary
Would require standardized cognitive impairment detection during Medicare preventive visits using assessment tools identified by the National Institute on Aging. It would add a documentation requirement for the tool used and the assessment results for both the Annual Wellness Visit and the Initial Preventive Physical Examination, effective for visits furnished on or after January 1, 2026.
Show full summary
- Medicare beneficiaries and older adults: Would prompt routine cognitive checks during the Annual Wellness Visit and the initial preventive exam, aiming for earlier identification and care planning.
- Families and caregivers: Earlier detection could help families plan support and services for the estimated 6.9 million Americans now living with Alzheimer’s disease and the projected nearly 13.8 million by 2060.
- Primary care clinicians and health records: Clinicians would use NIA-identified instruments and must record the tool and results in the beneficiary's medical record, adding a documentation step to preventive visits.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Memory screening at Medicare visits
If enacted, Medicare would require a check for memory or thinking problems at your Annual Wellness Visit and at the initial preventive exam for visits on or after January 1, 2026. Providers would have to use one of the cognitive screening tools the National Institute on Aging identifies for primary care. Providers would record which tool they used and the results in your medical record. For the initial preventive exam, the bill would add this detection into the patient agreement/consent process.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Cosponsors
Mark Warner
VA • D
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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