The John A. Hartford Foundation and West Health Partner to Support the National PACE Association’s Goal of Adapting PACE to Serve Many High-Need Populations
The National PACE Association (NPA) has garnered the support of the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) and the West Health Policy Center for extending the access to its Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) for Americans. The consortium has approved funding of $795,585 over a two-year period, designed to develop the PACE model further to aid further seniors and those with high-care needs. PACE 2.0 will use the PACE Innovation Act, legislation designed to develop innovative treatments, to increase access to underserved populations such as physical or mental challenges. The project will create strategies for scaling PACE operations and extend the model to more communities, with the aim of increased five-fold the number of those served. PACE utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to provide care for those who qualify for nursing home assistance, and is provided through Medicare and Medicaid across 31 states. PACE is designed to keep older adults out of nursing homes and providing a higher quality of life in local communities.

PACE 2.0 seeks to build on success of Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly to expand the benefits of the model to more people

(Oct. 2, 2017) ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National PACE Association (NPA) expresses gratitude to The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) and the West Health Policy Center for their support in expanding access to Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) for many complex high-need, high-cost populations across the country. The organizations recently approved $795,585 in funding over two years, with the goal of innovating the PACE model to serve more seniors and other individuals with high-care needs.

“NPA is deeply grateful to The John A. Hartford Foundation for its longstanding support of PACE and is thrilled to be working with West Health as a new partner in our ongoing efforts to expand access to PACE’s provider-based, fully integrated health care delivery model,” said Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of NPA.

The PACE 2.0 initiative will build upon the PACE Innovation Act, legislation passed by Congress allowing for PACE pilots to develop innovations supporting the ability of PACE to serve a larger number and wider range of adults with high health care needs. The project will identify underserved subpopulations currently eligible to enroll in PACE, as well as new unserved populations, such as younger adults with physical or mental challenges, that could benefit from the PACE model. To meet the needs of these individuals, the project will support the development of strategies to scale PACE operations and spread the model to more communities. The goal is to achieve a five-fold increase in those served by PACE and promote implementation of the strategies developed.

“This project charts a course for bringing the transformative care model of PACE to many more communities and people who will benefit from its integrated, person-centered approach,” said Peter Fitzgerald, executive vice president for Policy and Strategy at NPA and the principal investigator for the project. “Through scale and spread strategies developed by the project, we look forward to achieving exponential growth in access to PACE for older Americans and those with complex health care needs.”

NPA is the national association for PACE organizations. PACE uses an interdisciplinary team approach to provide care to older individuals who qualify for nursing home care. PACE is a Medicare benefit nationally and a Medicaid benefit in 31 states. PACE is the most successful model for keeping individuals out of nursing homes and in the community, where they enjoy a higher quality of life, remain connected to the community, and receive care in the most cost-effective way. PACE has proven its ability to reduce costs associated with emergency room visits, unnecessary hospital admissions and long-term nursing home placements. PACE data show that more than 95 percent of PACE enrollees live in the community.

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The National PACE Association works to advance the efforts of PACE programs, which coordinate and provide preventive, primary, acute and long-term care services so older individuals can continue living in the community. The PACE model of care is centered on the belief that it is better for the well-being of seniors with chronic care needs and their families to be served in the community whenever possible. For more information, visit www.NPAonline.org and follow @TweetNPA.

The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. Established in 1929, the foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregiving, and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. For more information, visit www.johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford.

Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health includes the nonprofit and nonpartisan Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, DC. These organizations are working together toward a shared mission dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life, and independence. For more information, visit westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.