To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for certain cognitive impairment detection in the Medicare annual wellness visit and initial preventive physical examination.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This Medicare cognitive impairment detection bill responds to findings that 6.9 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, that the number could reach 13.8 million by 2060, that Black, Latino, and women beneficiaries face disproportionate burdens, and that early documented diagnosis can connect patients and caregivers with care planning, support services, treatment, and clinical trials. It amends the Medicare annual wellness visit benefit to require detection of cognitive impairment using one of the tools identified by the National Institute on Aging as meeting criteria for primary-care cognitive-impairment detection. The provider must document both the tool used and the assessment results in the patient's medical record. The annual wellness visit change applies to visits on or after January 1, 2026. The bill also adds the same cognitive-impairment detection element to the initial preventive physical examination, with the same January 1, 2026 effective date.
Who Benefits and How
Medicare beneficiaries with early cognitive impairment benefit from more consistent screening in annual wellness and initial preventive visits. Family caregivers benefit when earlier documentation helps trigger care planning and support services. Alzheimer's disease clinicians benefit from more patients reaching diagnosis and treatment pathways earlier. Clinical trial sponsors benefit if earlier detection improves identification of potential dementia-study participants.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Primary care providers must use NIA-recognized detection tools and document the tool and results in the medical record. Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare billing workflows must accommodate the required detection element. CMS staff must update preventive-service guidance and oversight before the 2026 effective date. Providers may need training and workflow changes to apply validated tools consistently.
Key Provisions
- Requires cognitive impairment detection in Medicare annual wellness visits starting January 1, 2026.
- Requires use of National Institute on Aging-recognized primary-care detection tools.
- Requires documentation of the tool used and assessment results in the patient's medical record.
- Adds the same cognitive impairment detection requirement to the Medicare initial preventive physical examination.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires Medicare annual wellness visits and initial preventive physical examinations furnished on or after January 1, 2026, to include cognitive impairment detection using National Institute on Aging-recognized tools and documentation of the tool and results in the patient's medical record.
Key Policy Areas
Medicare, Dementia, Preventive Care
Primary Purpose
Requires Medicare annual wellness visits and initial preventive physical examinations furnished on or after January 1, 2026, to include cognitive impairment detection using National Institute on Aging-recognized tools and documentation of the tool and results in the patient's medical record.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment
- Family caregivers
- Alzheimer's disease clinicians
- Clinical trial sponsors
Identified Costs
- Primary care providers
- Medicare billing systems
- CMS preventive-service staff
- Provider training programs
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Sánchez (for herself, Mr. LaHood, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. …
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Alzheimer's disease clinicians, Family caregivers, Primary care providers
Positive-direction: Alzheimer's disease clinicians, Family caregivers
Negative-direction: Primary care providers
Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology