In September 2022, MHA and the Alzheimer’s Association introduced a roadmap to assist Massachusetts healthcare providers in preparing for the implementation of a state-mandated operational plan for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
The state’s Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Acute Care Advisory Committee – established by the legislature – in 2017 issued a report of recommendations to provide optimal care to persons with dementia in acute care settings. In 2018, these recommendations were incorporated into legislation and passed into law as Chapter 220 of the Acts of 2018: An Act Relative to Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias.
Section 8 of the law requires all licensed hospitals to complete and implement an “operational plan for the recognition and management of patients with dementia or delirium in acute-care settings.” In July 2021, the required date for implementation was extended from October 2021 to October 1, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MHA roadmap outlines an operational plan for senior leadership, recommendations of who should be on the team to implement the plan; identification of the six broad categories of an operational plan and the pathways to take to implement it, and suggested outcome measures for ongoing quality assurance and performance improvement.
WATCH: MHA and the Alzheimer’s Association hosted a one-hour webinar, which includes case examples from hospitals implementing their own operational plans.
