Earlier Answers, Better Care: How Expanded Access to Alzheimer’s Testing Can Change Lives
For millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, the path to a diagnosis has often been long, uncertain, and heartbreakingly delayed. But that is beginning to change, and the medical technology community is helping to make it happen.
A new generation of blood-based diagnostic tests can now detect key biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms become severe. These tests offer something families have long needed: earlier, more accurate answers, and with them, more time to plan, to act, and to access new treatment options while they can make the most difference.
The Challenge: A Test That Existed But Wasn’t Accessible
Scientific innovation alone doesn’t guarantee patient access. For a diagnostic test to reach the patients who need it, providers must be able to offer it, and that requires sustainable reimbursement.
When these tests came to market, Medicare initially proposed a reimbursement rate for these tests that was too low to support broad access. The science was there. The need was undeniable. But the financial pathway for widespread adoption risked not being sustainable.
What Changed
AdvaMed worked with policymakers to reassess reimbursement for these critical diagnostic tools, advocating for an appropriate rate that reflects their clinical value and supports broader availability. Significantly, AdvaMed organized and coordinated outreach from patient advocacy groups and other stakeholders to share their unique perspective on the importance to patients of having a viable reimbursement rate for these tests. Effective January 2026, that advocacy translated into meaningful change, opening the door for more Medicare providers to incorporate the biomarker testing into clinically advised care.
Why It Matters for Patients
Today, more than 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s. By 2030, that number is projected to reach 8.5 million. For these individuals and their families, early detection isn’t just a clinical milestone; it’s a chance to make informed decisions, explore treatment options sooner, and plan for the future with greater clarity.
When Medicare reimbursement supports access, more clinicians have the option for more patients, as medical needs dictate. More diagnoses are made earlier. And more families get the answers they deserve before the disease progresses beyond early intervention.
The Bigger Picture
This is what the medtech community, working alongside patients and policymakers, can accomplish when advocacy is grounded in patient need. Not every positive change happens in a lab or an operating room. Some happen in policy discussions, where the right outcome means a life-changing test becomes available to the patients who need it most.
AdvaMed remains committed to ensuring that the innovations our members develop reach patients through a health care system that supports, not limits, access to medically advised care.
Bobby Patrick, VI, is AdvaMed’s senior vice president, government affairs, and executive director of the State Medical Technology Alliance.
Hear Patient Stories
The Story of Medtech empowers patients to share their experiences with medical technology in an effort to educate, inspire, and create community.