How Accurately Do Patients and Their Care Partners Report Results of Amyloid-ß PET Scans for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment?

BACKGROUND: Amyloid-ß PET scans will likely become an integral part of the diagnostic evaluation for Alzheimer's disease if Medicare approves reimbursement for the scans. However, little is known about patients' and their care partners' interpretation of scan results. OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to understand how accurately patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia and their care partners report results of amyloid-ß PET scans and factors related to correct reporting. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze survey data from 1,845 patient-care partner dyads and responses to open-ended questions about interpretation of scan results from a sub-sample of 200 dyads. RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of patients and 85% of care partners correctly reported amyloid-ß PET scan results. Patients' higher cognitive function was associated with a small but significant decrease in the predicted probability of not only patients accurately reporting scan results (ME: -0.004, 95% CI: -0.007, -0.000), but also care partners accurately reporting scan results (ME: -0.006, 95% CI: -0.007, -0.001), as well as decreased concordance between patient and care partner reports (ME: -0.004, 95% CI: -0.007, -0.001). Content analysis of open-ended responses found that participants who reported the scan results incorrectly exhibited more confusion about diagnostic terminology than those who correctly reported the scan results. CONCLUSION: Overall, patients with MCI or dementia showed high rates of accurate reporting of amyloid-ß PET scan results. However, responses to questions about the meaning of the scan results highlight the need for improved provider communication, including providing written explanations and better prognostic information.

Why Older Adults and Their Children Disagree About In-Home Surveillance Technology, Sensors, and Tracking.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite the surveilling nature of technologies that allow caregivers to remotely monitor location, movements, or activities, the potential differences in comfort with remote monitoring between caregivers and care recipients have not been examined in depth. On the dyad and aggregate level, we compare preferences of older adult women and their adult children for three remote monitoring technologies. Their assessments of each technology's impact on privacy, safety, independence, freedom, relationship with family member, social life, and identity are also compared. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This dyadic study used cognitive-based interview probing and value-centered design methods. Twenty-eight individual, in-depth, structured interviews were conducted with 18 women who are Meals on Wheels clients and 10 of their adult children. RESULTS: Meals on Wheels participants reported multiple chronic conditions and an average of 1.7 ADL and 3.3 IADL difficulties; two thirds were enrolled in Medicaid. Adult children preferred each technology more than their mothers did and underestimated both their mothers' ability to comprehend the functions of the technologies and the importance of engaging them fully in decision making. Most were confident that they could persuade their mothers to adopt. For both groups, privacy was the most-cited concern, and participants perceived significant overlap between values of privacy, independence, identity, and freedom. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Studying privacy in isolation overlooks privacy's instrumental role in enabling other values. Shared decision-making tools are needed to promote remote monitoring use consistent with older adults' values and to prevent conflict and caregiver overreach.

Medicare Advantage plan representatives' perspectives on Pay for Success.

OBJECTIVES: To understand how Medicare Advantage (MA) plan representatives perceive the alternative financing model Pay for Success (PFS) and its potential to address members' social risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: Semistructured qualitative interviews designed to understand plan representatives' priorities regarding addressing nonmedical needs of their members, awareness of and experiences with PFS, and thoughts about implementing PFS as a method to address members' nonmedical needs. METHODS: Interviews with 38 upper-management representatives from 17 MA plans, which represent 65% of MA beneficiaries nationally, were conducted from July to November 2018. Plans varied in geographic coverage, star rating, and enrollment. Transcripts were qualitatively analyzed to understand overarching themes and patterns of responses. RESULTS: MA plan representatives were largely unfamiliar with PFS and were interested in learning more about how it could address members' social needs. When probed about specific requirements of PFS, responses varied: Some reported willingness to share data with project partners and be reviewed by independent evaluators; others expressed their preference to keep data and performance analysis internal to the organization. Although most representatives prioritized innovation, some were more risk averse and preferred to use traditional methods to deliver new services. CONCLUSIONS: MA plan representatives were unfamiliar with PFS, but most expressed interest in it as an alternative model for funding initiatives to address members' social needs. Education of MA representatives about PFS as an alternative payment model for innovative programming is warranted. However, further guidance from CMS is needed to assuage the concerns raised by these representatives.

Addressing health disparities: Brown University School of Public Health.

Health disparities are a public health concern in Rhode Island and around the world. Faculty members and students in the Brown University School of Public Health are working to understand, address, and ultimately eliminate disparities in health and health care affecting diverse populations. Our educational offerings and research efforts are directed toward understanding and addressing the social, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to these health disparities. Research methods to carry out this work include implementing interdisciplinary, community-based, quantitative and qualitative research with the goal of preventing, reducing, and eliminating health disparities. This article focuses on some of the School's work with vulnerable communities confronting issues around the following: HIV/AIDS, obesity, nutrition, physical activity and delivery of health services.