Governor Baker last week signed into law ‘An Act relative to Alzheimer’s and related dementias in the Commonwealth.’ The new law includes a comprehensive set of provisions designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s illness in Massachusetts, including:
- Requirement that the executive office of health and human services develop and carry out an assessment of all state programs that address Alzheimer’s disease and create and maintain an integrated state plan to overcome Alzheimer's disease;
- Requirement that physicians have dementia training as a condition of licensure;
- Requirements that doctors, physician’s assistants and nurses to receive training on the diagnosis, treatment and care for people with Alzheimer’s;
- Requirement that doctors report an initial diagnosis of the disease to a family member of the patient, and provide the family with information and treatment options; and
- Requirement that all Massachusetts hospitals implement an operational plan for the recognition and management of patients with dementia or delirium in acute-care settings accountable to the Department of Public Health.
The bill was sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts and supported by a broad Coalition, including Mass Senior Care Association.