Family physician Mukund Premkumar sees patients right in their community — on the second floor of a San Francisco strip mall with free parking. Premkumar treats many Asian Americans, who, according to a 2021 study of California Medicare records published in JAMA Neurology, were the least likely to receive an early diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, when treatment options can enable a patient to continue to perform daily tasks and live independently longer. They were also the least likely to be referred to a specialist, such as a neurologist, or to be referred for laboratory tests, the study found.
On average, Premkumar sees about 18 patients a day for 20 or 40 minutes at his clinic, which is part of the UCSF Health medical system. Many of his patients are 65 or older, which puts them at greater risk for dementia. At least 15% of his visitors require interpreters to translate Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese or Korean.
