Conventional cognitive assessments, whether as part of a routine wellness exam or measure of cognitive decline, tend to be time-consuming and impersonal. For a faster cognitive assessment, Deborah Neiman, MD, relies on BrainCheck to help her accurately and efficiently assess cognitive health throughout her practice.
Dr. Neiman, a board certified physician with Affiliates in Internal Medicine and medical director of Step Ahead Wellness Center, has had an internal medicine practice for more than 25 years. Cognitive assessment is part of her patients’ annual checkups, especially for those over the age of 50. All four clinicians in her practice use BrainCheck as a way to make these assessments faster, more engaging for patients, and to make fuller use of clinical time.
Fast Cognitive Assessment in Practice
A typical cognitive assessment process entails dozens of questions from clinician to patient. Often, this can result in question fatigue for patients and a less personal, more time-consuming experience. Dr. Neiman and her clinical partners allow their patients to engage directly with BrainCheck. After explaining the intuitive BrainCheck interface, patients complete the assessment on the device. BrainCheck makes clinical operations more efficient while empowering patients to feel a greater sense of independence and engagement with the assessments.
“[BrainCheck] is very efficient for us,” says Dr. Neiman. “We get results from it that are really valuable.”
BrainCheck also gives her more time to review the assessments, pinpoint specific areas for improvement or treatment, and review everything with her patients on their next visit — rather than interpreting them as boxes checked on a questionnaire.
Clinical Value for a Diverse Population
Cognitive assessment can be laborious for care providers and for patients, especially if those patients are experiencing memory loss or cognitive decline. Dr. Neiman uses BrainCheck in two ways:
- Assessing patients over 50 who fear they’re experiencing cognitive decline. Dr. Neiman uses a BrainCheck assessment to identify any areas for improvement or signs of concern — as well as to reassure patients that they are cognitively healthy — using specific data.
- Helping families choose the right next steps for loved ones experiencing cognitive decline. Some patients already experiencing cognitive decline may resist clinical intervention. Dr. Neiman uses BrainCheck to work with families concerned for their loved ones to determine the extent of the decline. Then she provides a recommendation for the best way to move forward. Providing a quantitative measure of cognitive deficits to show patients and families can help.
A Trusted Platform
Dr. Neiman explored numerous testing mechanisms, programs, and platforms before selecting BrainCheck for her practice.
“It’s an excellent platform I feel providers can trust. [It provides] a way to look at cognitive decline in an efficient way that enables us to help patients rather than checking boxes.”
Deborah Neiman, MD
Affiliates in Internal Medicine
She sees it not only empowering patients to engage with their wellness strategies, but also as a source of substantial clinical data. The time she saves with the platform also makes room for more time spent discussing results and care plans with patients — not just inundating them with questions.
“The most important thing [about BrainCheck] is that this is not a superficial test,” says Dr. Neiman. “It’s actually very legitimate in what it asks the patient and areas of focus, so we can feel these are substantial results backed by medical studies. To me, this is as helpful as an EKG.”
