In 2019, Achieve Health, a practice focused on preventative medicine in Orem, Utah, replaced a traditional subjective cognitive assessment with BrainCheck’s digital cognitive health solutions. As part of the adult primary care practice’s comprehensive annual assessment for all patients, BrainCheck’s digital cognitive testing helps Jeffrey Ogden, M.D., identify cognitive concerns earlier.
Need For Validated, Quantitative Results Across Multiple Cognitive Domains
Before Achieve Health began using BrainCheck in September 2019, the practice used the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE). However, while Dr. Ogden recognized the importance of cognitive and behavioral health, he found the MMSE was inadequate for a number of reasons:
- Pencil-and-paper tests are administrator-dependent.
“The sensitivity to individually assess cognitive impairment isn’t there,” Dr. Ogden said. “I never had any surprises with the Mini-Mental.” - Patients often aren’t good judges of their own cognitive function.
Additionally, if patients do have cause for concern they can be reluctant to say so. - Traditional assessments don’t always provide enough insight to justify intervention.
“I needed to put some numbers to it,” said Dr. Ogden, “so I could document in the EHR that my patient really did need medication or a home intervention.”
“If I can start addressing people earlier, if I can identify a cognitive concern, I can use that information to help people make better life choices.”
Jeffrey Ogden, M.D.
Achieve Health
Intuitive Solution with Simple Implementation
Starting in September 2019, Achieve Health’s three providers and two physician assistants incorporated BrainCheck’s digital cognitive assessments into patients’ annual exams. With BrainCheck’s intuitive design, test-retest reliability, and reimbursement potential, implementation was simple and efficient. Within two months, the practice performed more than 100 assessments.
New Insights from Digital Cognitive Testing
When first implementing BrainCheck, Dr. Ogden immediately noticed two differences with the cognitive assessments. “We found that, number one, patients thought it was really cool. And number two, we found issues that people would deny,” he said, including significant problems with delayed recall. “One patient, in particular, had told me everything was fine. He just didn’t want to admit it.”
Support For Patient-centered Cognitive Care
As a result of using BrainCheck as a diagnostic aid, Dr. Ogden and his associates have been able to provide better cognitive care for their patients. For lesser concerns, the practice has been able to suggest changes in lifestyle. And knowing when a patient has a higher risk for cognitive impairment has helped with prescribing medication, performing home safety assessments, and enlisting family help.
