DeLeo,House Passes Massachusetts Alzheimer’s and Dementia Legislation

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Rep. RoseLee Vincent with colleagues announce the passage of legislation, which establishes an Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Council. The bill also requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to conduct an assessment on existing state efforts and implement a state plan to address the disease.

There are currently 120,000 individuals in Massachusetts with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, and experts predict the prevalence of Alzheimer’s will increase 25 percent in the next decade. Currently, more than 300,000 people in Massachusetts act as caregivers to one these patients. In 2017, Medicaid costs for caring for people with the disease totaled $1.55 billion.

“Massachusetts is a national leader in health care,” said Speaker DeLeo. “This legislation ensures our ongoing commitment to confronting the largest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation. I believe it will strengthen our ability to provide quality care and ongoing support to the growing number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s throughout the Commonwealth.”

“Almost every resident in the Commonwealth has felt the effects of this tragic disease, and sadly the number of those suffering has continued to grow,” said Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough), chair of the Committee on Elder Affairs.   “I am proud of the House’s swift action to address the looming public health crisis that is Alzheimer’s disease and am grateful that the Speaker has made this critical legislation a priority as we enter the new year.  I look forward to the day that it is signed into law.”

“Sadly, almost all of us have experienced a loved one who has suffered from Alzheimer’s or dementia,” said Rep. Vincent.  “I am proud that my colleagues and I in the Massachusetts House were able to enact legislation that will give critical care for and additional support to those suffering the effects of this awful disease.  I thank Speaker DeLeo and Chairwoman Gregoire for their work in crafting these policies, and for their commitment to patients in the Commonwealth who are suffering from dementia.”

The legislation creates minimum-training standards for elder protective services social workers and establishes a continuing education requirement for medical professionals to improve the diagnosis, care, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

In an effort to strengthen a patient’s support network and improve communication, physicians will be granted increased flexibility when sharing medical information with a patient’s family throughout diagnosis and treatment. These changes operate within the existing legal framework of federal and state medical information privacy laws. The legislation also requires a new, one-time continuing education requirement for physicians, physician’s assistants, registered nurses, and practical nurses, which will include training in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Council, established in the legislation, will be required to meet quarterly and will provide EOHHS and the Legislature with recommendations on Alzheimer’s policy, an evaluation of state-funded research, care and programming, and any outcomes of such efforts. EOHHS will create an integrated state plan to facilitate the coordination of government efforts while ensuring that appropriate resources are maximized and leveraged.

The legislation requires hospitals to implement an operational plan for recognizing and managing individuals with dementia. Hospitals must complete and implement their operational plan by Oct. 1, 2021, and provide the Department of Public Health with the plan as requested.