New Milken Institute Report Highlights the Promise of Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease

The Milken Institute’s new report, Advancing Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Care, makes a clear case that policy and health-system readiness must catch up to advances in Alzheimer’s science. Drawing on interviews with 32 experts, input from stakeholders across six sectors, a patient focus group, literature review, and a readiness-ranking survey, the report examines the barriers standing between promising diagnostic innovation and meaningful access for patients. It highlights reimbursement, laboratory capacity, clinical workflows, provider education, and inequities in access as central challenges to incorporating blood-based biomarkers into routine cognitive care.

The report is a timely reminder that coverage and payment policies will play a decisive role in determining whether blood-based biomarker testing becomes available broadly or remains concentrated in specialized settings and among patients with greater resources. The report calls for coordinated action among stakeholders to establish clear pathways for appropriate use and equitable adoption of blood biomarker tests. For policymakers, these include, among others:

• Develop dedicated cognitive assessment CPT codes for primary care.

• Recognize MCI in Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment to align incentives with early detection.

• Pursue legislation for sensitive proteomic data, modeled on GINA, to prevent discrimination from taking place.

• Ensure Medicare Advantage and commercial diagnostic coverage for BBMs is no more restrictive than the existing CMS anti-amyloid treatment NCD

As Alzheimer’s diagnostics and treatments continue to advance, policymakers must ensure that Medicare and other payers keep pace, support provider and system capacity, and prevent new innovations from widening existing disparities in diagnosis and care.

Read the full report here.