Atlantic Memory Clinic and FirstHx Partner to Improve Memory and Cognitive Care in New Brunswick

Moncton, NB — Atlantic Memory Clinic (AMC) and FirstHx have announced a partnership aimed at strengthening cognitive health care and early detection of cognitive decline in patients across New Brunswick through the availability of a new digital neurocognitive assessment tool.

Developed by AMC, the Neurocognitive Frailty Index (NFI) is a bilingual digital neurocognitive assessment tool recognized by Health Canada as a medical device. The NFI delivers a rapid, comprehensive and innovative approach to cognitive health assessment by integrating physical, psychological and cognitive factors into a single, evidence-based measure. In just 10 minutes, it enables earlier identification of cognitive decline and dementia, instantly delivering clear, personalized and actionable results to healthcare professionals through advanced proprietary algorithms that support faster decisions, earlier interventions and better patient outcomes.

As part of this new partnership, the NFI is being integrated into the FirstHx digital clinical intake platform, enabling clinicians to identify early signs of cognitive decline more efficiently and consistently at the point of care to guide treatment or rehabilitation plans.

“The Neurocognitive Frailty Index was developed to support earlier identification of cognitive decline and more confident clinical decision-making,” said Dr. Sarah Pakzad, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Université de Moncton and developer of the NFI. “Integrating the NFI into frontline care through FirstHx ensures this validated tool can be used where it has the greatest impact – supporting clinicians, improving access to care, and helping patients receive timely and appropriate assessment.”

FirstHx supports frontline care teams through structured digital intake, bilingual workflows and data tools that enable timely detection and effective triage. Its established use in clinical settings in New Brunswick provides a reliable foundation for the secure and efficient deployment of advanced assessment tools, such as NFI.

“This partnership proves FirstHx can integrate powerful, scientifically validated tools directly into clinical practice, helping these innovations reach more patients and drive real-world health impact,” said Dr. Christopher O’Connor, CEO of FirstHx. “By embedding the Neurocognitive Frailty Index into frontline workflows, we are supporting clinicians with meaningful, actionable insights in record time, while strengthening continuity of care.”

With NFI embedded in existing infrastructure in various points of care across the province, including eVisitNB, as well as some primary and acute care facilities, clinicians can access validated neurocognitive assessment capabilities anywhere, any time, without adding complexity to their workflows. This approach supports early diagnosis of dementia, aligns with regional health authority tools, and reinforces reliability, continuity and clinical effectiveness across the system.

Together, Atlantic Memory Clinic and FirstHx look forward to delivering a scalable, validated approach to cognitive health assessment that will strengthen primary care and support earlier access to appropriate cognitive treatments across New Brunswick.

About Atlantic Memory Clinic

Atlantic Memory Clinic is a recognized leader in neurocognitive assessment, research and innovation in Canada. The clinic developed the Neurocognitive Frailty Index (NFI), a Health Canada–recognized medical device and bilingual, validated digital assessment tool designed to support the early identification of cognitive decline and informed clinical decision-making. Through its combined strengths in clinical expertise, research excellence and strategic system partnerships, Atlantic Memory Clinic is advancing accessible, high-quality, evidence-based cognitive health care across Canada.