Implementing a Cognitive Impairment Care Planning Toolkit to Enhance Dementia Care: A Quality Improvement Project

Background: Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the United States with costs reaching $277 billion a year and affecting 5.7 million Americans. By 2050, 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This burdensome disease not only affects the individual, but also those who are responsible for their care, making it extremely complex to manage. Purpose: To systematically integrate the Alzheimer’s Association’s Cognitive Impairment Care Planning Toolkit in an outpatient mental health clinic to enhance care by effectively addressing the needs of patients with ADRD and of their caregivers. Objectives: Increase the number of patients with ADRD and/or their caregivers screened using the validated, standardized assessment tools found within the toolkit; increase the number of patients and/or caregivers who were identified as having unmet need(s) that received appropriate follow-up referrals; increase the number of written care plans formulated from the comprehensive assessment; and increase revenue by utilizing billing CPT code 99483. Results: Conducting a person-centered comprehensive assessment and care plan was beneficial in enhancing care by addressing the complex needs of this population. It helped identify needs such as neuropsychiatric symptoms, patient and caregiver depression, functional and environmental safety concerns, and caregiver stress. It also improved documentation for care planning, and increased revenue collection. Implications for practice: This toolkit allowed for holistic management of patient outcomes. Clinicians were able to customize treatment plans to tailor individual patient needs from to the multi-component assessments