Quest Diagnostics launches electronic cognitive assessment tool

Quest Diagnostics, Madison, N.J., has developed a digital tool for cognitive assessment and care management of those with dementia. The electronic format bridges a gap in data gathering, as many other memory assessment tests are paper-based and therefore difficult to integrate into electronic health records (EHR).

CogniSense uses a digital version of the Memory Orientation Assessment Test to test residents’ recall, comprehension and brain function speed. The tool is available as an iPad application and includes tablet-based clock-drawing tests. The tool can be used and scored electronically, and then added to an HER where physicians can track results over time.

"Studies show that cognition plays a huge role in how patients take care of all the management of their health," said Harry Jacob, MD, CMO for Primary PartnerCare, an accountable care organization (ACO) based on Long Island, NY, that piloted CogniSense on nearly 300 patients.  "That is why effective digital tools for the assessment of patients at risk for dementia are essential for an ACO."

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.