Wow, never thought this would happen! Please, let's take advantage of this rare invitation to be heard. -Laura

From the PAN Newsletter:

Parkinson's Action Network

Opportunity to Comment on Performance Measures for Parkinson's Disease

American Academy of Neurology Wants Comments on Measures for Health Professionals

PAN has received a rare opportunity for advocates to comment on proposed performance measures for Parkinson’s disease developed by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This is a chance for people living with Parkinson’s disease to have their voices heard on issues impacting the care they receive.

AAN developed 10 performance measures for doctors and other eligible health professionals who provide care to individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The measures are intended to be used to calculate performance and/or to report measurement at the individual physician level. The 10 performance measures are listed below:

Measure 1: Annual Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis Review
Measure 2: Psychiatric Disorders or Disturbances Assessment
Measure 3: Cognitive Impairment or Dysfunction Assessment
Measure 4: Querying about Symptoms of Autonomic Dysfunction
Measure 5: Querying about Sleep Disturbances
Measure 6: Querying about Falls
Measure 7: Parkinson’s disease Rehabilitative Therapy Options
Measure 8: Parkinson’s disease Related Safety Issues Counseling
Measure 9: Querying about Medication Related Motor Complications
Measure 10: Parkinson’s disease Treatment Options Reviewed

PAN encourages you to use your personal knowledge and experience to help inform AAN as it develops its performance measures for Parkinson’s disease. The multi-faceted nature of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and each individual’s unique experience with his or her own neurologist supplies the best experience and knowledge available for these comments.

The open public comment period on the Parkinson’s disease measures runs through 6:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 9, 2009. Anyone may comment on each of the 10 individual measures and the measurement set overall. Please note that all posted comments will become part of the public record. To view and comment on the full measurement set, visit www.aan.com/comments.