Telephone-delivered Brain Therapy Meets or Beats In-Person Outcomes

Moneta Health's telephone-based cognitive rehabilitation program has demonstrated significant outcomes for older adults, according to a new study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC). The study analyzed real-world results from 141 Medicare patients, showing improvements in cognitive function and quality of life through the accessible telephone delivery model.

The program, which Moneta Health describes as "physical therapy for the brain," aims to enhance memory and daily functioning, mirroring how physical therapy restores mobility. However, access to cognitive rehabilitation is often limited, especially in rural areas, with fewer than 20% of patients receiving outpatient care.

Moneta Health's model removes common barriers to care. Patients receive weekly treatment via phone with a licensed speech therapist and complete personalized cognitive exercises between sessions with Mona, Moneta's AI therapy assistant. The program requires no smartphone, app, or internet connection, making it broadly accessible.

According to the study, patients improved across all four clinical outcome measures, including patient-reported quality of life and therapist-rated cognition, language comprehension, and expressive language. Improvements on the three therapist-rated measures met or exceeded national benchmarks for in-person outpatient care. Between 71 and 94 percent of patients showed improvement depending on the measure. The company plans to publish the full study manuscript on its website later this week.

"Cognitive impairment affects one in three adults over 65. This data shows that if you can answer the phone, you can get physical therapy for the brain. That's how we close the care gap in neurology deserts," said Paul A. Campbell, co-founder and CEO of Moneta Health.