Role of APPs in Alzheimer Disease Care in Community and Academic Settings

Panelists discuss how advanced practice providers (APPs) function as key connectors between patients and physicians across community and academic environments. They describe the contrasts in infrastructure, patient flow, and resource availability between these settings, noting that APPs often fill care gaps in rural or underserved regions where neurologists are scarce.

Panelists discuss how APPs adapt their roles to meet the operational needs of their institutions—taking on diagnostic responsibilities, coordinating imaging and labs, and counseling families. In academic centers, APPs may support research and clinical trial enrollment, while in community practices they manage ongoing care and follow-up to maintain treatment adherence.

Panelists discuss how the collaboration between APPs and physicians enhances efficiency and consistency across the continuum of AD care. By ensuring that patients are evaluated and supported regardless of practice type, APPs improve outcomes and reduce delays in diagnosis or treatment initiation.