Real Answers to Real Questions | Blood-Based Clarity: Navigating An Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Confidence
Released On
February 27, 2026
Expires On
February 26, 2027
Media Type
Internet
Completion Time
60 minutes
Specialty
Neurology, Primary Care
Topic(s)
Alzheimer's
This activity is provided by ACOFP and MLI
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Lilly.
Credit Available
- Osteopathic Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AOA Category 1-A credits
- Allopathic Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
- ABIM MOC — up to 1.0 MOC points
- AAFP — up to 1.0 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP credit
- Physician Associates — 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits
- Nurses — 1.0 Nursing Contact Hour
Target Audience
This activity is designed for HCPs including PCPs, general neurologists, NPs, and PAs, who support cognitive health and clinical care across the continuum of normal aging through AD in the United States.
Program Overview
Blood-Based Clarity: Navigating an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Confidence is a CME activity designed for primary care physicians, general neurologists, nurse practitioners, and physician associates involved in cognitive health care across the aging spectrum. As first-line health care professionals, these clinicians are well positioned to recognize early signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet often face challenges in distinguishing it from normal aging. Diagnostic uncertainty can delay appropriate intervention, care planning, and treatment.
This activity explores the growing role of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) in detecting early AD pathology and offers practical guidance on incorporating them into clinical workflows. Participants will learn how to identify appropriate patients for testing, interpret BBM results, and determine when referral to a specialist is warranted—supporting earlier diagnosis, informed decision-making, and improved outcomes.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
- Distinguish between normal aging and early cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by integrating comprehensive evaluation frameworks in accordance with guideline recommendations
- Describe the role of biomarkers in detecting pathological changes associated with early AD
- Identify appropriate patients for blood biomarker testing to detect amyloid pathology
- Interpret blood biomarker test results and determine when referral to a specialist is warranted for further evaluation
Agenda
- Introduction
- Understanding the AD Continuum: Delineating Early Cognitive Decline Associated with AD versus Age-Related Cognitive Decline
- Deep Dive in Precision Diagnostics: Practice Implementation of Liquid Biomarker Testing in Primary Care
- Conclusions
Faculty
Chair/Planner/Presenter
Ariel Cole, MD, CMD, FAAFP
Director, Geriatric Fellowship, AdventHealth, Winter Park, Florida
Assistant Director, AdventHealth Family Medicine Residency, Winter Park, Florida
Clerkship Director, Department of Geriatrics, Florida State University College of Medicine
Planners/Presenters
Inga Antonsdottir, DNP, PhD
Paul Schulz, MD
Professor of Neurology
McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health)
Houston, Texas
Rhonna S. Shatz, DO
Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD
Director
University of Rochester Alzhimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE)
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, Medical Learning Institute Inc is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation
Osteopathic Physician Continuing Medical Education
The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) to provide osteopathic continuing medical education for physicians.
ACOFP designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AOA Category 1-A credits and will report continuing medical education (CME) credits commensurate with the physician’s participation in this program.
Allopathic Physician Continuing Medical Education
Medical Learning Institute Inc (MLI) designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
MOC Statement
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
Participation information will be shared through the ACCME's Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).
For Physicians requesting MOC credit, the post-test and evaluation are required in their entirety as well as your ABIM ID number, DOB (MM/DD), and a score of 70% or higher is needed to obtain MOC credit.
AAFP CME Credit
The AAFP has reviewed Real Answers to Real Questions | Blood-Based Clarity: Navigating An Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Confidence and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.0 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP [Elective/Prescribed] credit(s). Term of Approval is from 02/27/2026 to 02/26/2027. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
PAs
Medical Learning Institute Inc has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until February 26, 2027. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
Nursing Continuing Professional Development
Successful completion of this nursing continuing professional development activity will be awarded 1.0 contact hour.
Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Statement
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest
Disclosure & Conflict of Interest Policy
ACOFP is committed to providing learners with high-quality CME/CE activities that promote improvements in health care and not those of an ineligible company. In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, also adopted by the AOA, ACOFP requires that individuals in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any ineligible company (those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients). Individuals in a position to control the content may include, but are not limited to, planning committee members, authors, faculty, speakers, reviewers, and activity staff.
Medical Learning Institute Inc is committed to providing high quality continuing education to healthcare professionals, as individuals and teams, with a protected space to learn, teach, and engage in scientific discourse free from influence from ineligible companies that may have an incentive to insert commercial bias into education. To that end, MLI requires faculty, presenters, planners, staff, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this CE activity to disclose all financial relationships they have had in the past 24 months with ineligible companies as defined by the ACCME, as related to the content of this CE activity, regardless of the amount or their view of the relevance to the education. All identified COI will be thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to MLI policy. These disclosures will be provided to learners prior to the start of the CE activity.
Faculty Disclosures
Chair/Planner/Presenter
Ariel Cole, MD, CMD, FAAFP, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose for this educational activity.
Planner/Presenter
Inga Antonsdottir, DNP, PhD, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose for this educational activity.
Planner/Presenter
Paul Schulz, MD, has a financial interest/relationship or affiliation in the form of:
Consultant/Advisor: Acadia, Biogen, Eisai, Eli Lilly
Research Support: Clinical Trials: Acadia, Alnylam, Alzheon, American College of Radiology, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Passage Bio, UCB Biopharma; Foundations Funding/Grants: Weston Brain Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center Foundation, Fronto Temporal Lobar Disease Association
Other: Data Safety Monitory Committee: Stem Cell for psychiatric disorder (Chair), Vigil Neurosciences (pending); Board of Director: The Alzheimer’s Association of Houston, The FTLDA of San Antonio
Planner/Presenter
Brianna Wynne, MD, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose for this educational activity.
Planner/Presenter
Eileen Whalen, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose for this educational activity.
Planner/Presenter
Rhonna S. Shatz, DO, has a financial interest/relationship or affiliation in the form of:
Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: Lilly
Research Funding/Support: Eisai (BETTER-Dx study of DCA and BBB in primary care), Lilly (Foundation grant for PCP Early Detection Pilot), UCB (PI for brepanemab)
Planner/Presenter
Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD, has a financial interest/relationship or affiliation in the form of:
Consultant/Advisor: Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Athira, Axsome, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cognitive Research Corp, Cognition Therapeutics, Eisai, IQVIA, Lundbeck, MapLight Therapeutics, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Oligomerix, ONO Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka, WCG, and Xenon
Research Support: Alector, Athira, Biogen, Cassava, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Genentech/Roche, Vaccinex, NIA, NIMH, and DOD
All of the relevant financial relationships of individuals for this activity have been mitigated.
Planning Committee and Content/Peer Reviewers
The planners and content/peer reviewers from Medical Learning Institute Inc, the accredited provider, and ACOFP, the joint provider, do not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose with ineligible companies unless listed below.
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussions of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this CE activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the CE activity are those of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this CE activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this CE activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient's conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this CE activity. In order to receive credit, learners must participate in the entire CE activity, complete the activity evaluation form and your certificate of credit will be generated. A passing score of 70% or higher is needed to obtain credit. You will receive your certificate from Medical Learning Institute Inc.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this CE activity, please consult your professional licensing board.
If you have questions regarding your certificate, please contact MLI at [email protected].
About This Activity
Medical Learning Institute Inc and ACOFP are responsible for the selection of this activity’s topics, the preparation of editorial content, and the distribution of this CE activity. Our activities may contain references to unapproved products or uses of these products in certain jurisdictions. The preparation of this activity is supported by educational grants subject to written agreements that clearly stipulate and enforce the editorial independence of Medical Learning Institute Inc.
The materials presented here are used with the permission of the authors and/or other sources. These materials do not necessarily reflect the views of Medical Learning Institute Inc or any of its partners, providers, and/or supporters.
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Contact Information
If you have questions regarding your certificate, please contact MLI at [email protected]