South Carolina Alzheimer's Network (SCAN)
The South Carolina Alzheimer's Network (SCAN) is a multi-site, multidisciplinary program that connects primary care providers and specialists throughout South Carolina to MUSC Health's cognitive specialists.
Providers submit eConsults to SCAN and receive diagnostic and treatment guidance within days, with longitudinal co-management of patients over time.
Patients who need in-person evaluation are seen by MUSC Health neurology in a SCAN Memory Treatment Center, with access to an early and accurate diagnosis, care navigation, and treatment with the new Alzheimer's disease infusion medications.
Through SCAN, MUSC became the only health system in South Carolina to be selected to participate in Medicare's model, Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE). The SCAN team recognizes the challenges associated with memory issues and provides individualized care for each patient.
What SCAN Provides
SCAN is designed and committed to ensure that patients have access to:
- Early and accurate diagnosis.
- Coordinated lifelong care plans reflecting co-management by primary care and cognitive specialists.
- Disease education, counseling, resources, and caregiver support from a dementia care navigator.
- New anti-amyloid medications which are prescribed safely to appropriate patients.
- Clinical trials and research protocols through the proposed South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC).
What to Expect
SCAN consists of a two-part evaluation that includes an initial consult visit and a results visit.
Initial Consult Visit
This includes a meeting with the SCAN Psychometrist to evaluate your cognitive status. You will also meet with a SCAN Advanced Practice Provider who will assess your medical history and physical abilities and provide a plan for further diagnostic workup. Additionally, you will meet with a SCAN Dementia Care Navigator to discuss care partner concerns.
We recommend a good night's sleep because this initial consultation typically lasts three to four hours and provides the foundation for the care plan moving forward. A results visit will be scheduled after any additional testing is completed.
Results Visit
During this appointment, patients and their families will meet with a cognitive physician, the advanced practice provider, and a dementia care navigator to discuss the results of any testing and a care plan moving forward. Most patients will return to their referring provider for ongoing care, but more complicated patients may continue in SCAN clinics.
