Older Americans Month

PACE Programs: Keeping Older Adults at Home and Families Together

In honor of Mother’s Day, Myers and Stauffer is commemorating Older Americans Month by highlighting how the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model of care helps Mom (and Dad) in maintaining their independence at home and in their communities for as long as possible.

This is achieved through an integrated, holistic, person-centered approach to care coordinated by an interdisciplinary team. Teams comprise 12 disciplines, including primary care providers, nurses, therapists, social workers, drivers, and more. PACE programs offer comprehensive care, ranging from primary and preventative to acute- and long-term care when it is needed, delivered by a spectrum of providers who collaborate and coordinate care for each individual.

What is PACE?

PACE is the only program of its kind that integrates Medicaid and Medicare under a collaborative three-way agreement between state agencies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a PACE organization.

PACE organizations receive monthly capitated payments and are responsible for all care that participants require. Approximately three days per week, participants attend the PACE center, which provides access to onsite services such as clinic, meals, rehabilitation services, and many social activities. PACE organizations provide participants with transportation to and from the PACE center and other approved appointments.

Right now, there are 34 states with PACE programs that are helping roughly 72,000 participants live happier, healthier lives at home and in the community, maintaining those close family and friend relationships that are so important. 

How Can PACE Help

Research clearly demonstrates that older Americans enrolled in PACE programs fare better and enjoy a better quality of life than those not enrolled. Read more in our blog post on International Quality of Life Month: PACE and Quality of Life: At the Intersection of Growing Older … Better.

How Myers and Stauffer Can Help

Myers and Stauffer works closely with a number of state PACE programs across the country, and we have a deep understanding of the daily pressures faced by most of the state administering agencies (SAAs). In fact, we spearhead a network of state PACE learning and collaboration that allows us to stay informed about state PACE programs and in contact with most programs across the country. From a high level, our work with states falls into four categories:

  1. Supporting states that currently do not have PACE with the implementation of a PACE program. Services typically include conducting market or feasibility analyses, establishing service regions, conducting PACE RFP/procurement, overseeing the CMS application process, onboarding of the PACE organization, conducting state readiness reviews, and establishing quality reporting and monitoring.
  2. Supporting states that currently have PACE and are interested in expanding. Services typically include conducting market, needs assessment, or feasibility analyses, and establishing service regions, as well as PACE organization onboarding, state readiness reviews, and post-implementation quality or financial monitoring.
  3. Supporting states that currently do not have PACE, but have an interest. Services typically include a feasibility or market study. In these situations, the state may have legislation that requires them to conduct a study, may have been approached by the provider industry with interest in opening a PACE center, or may have had lingering interest in PACE.
  4. Supporting numerous states in the PACE multi-state learning collaborative. Myers and Stauffer leads a group of more than 25 SAAs and PACE-interested states that meet bimonthly to discuss PACE issues including policy, efficacy, emerging trends, regulations, procedures, and share best practices.

Read more here about our full PACE program. 

For more information about our state PACE services, please contract Jared Duzan at jduzan@mslc.com or 317.815.2925.