Key Dates in PACE History
- The first PACE
program began in the early 1970 at On Lok Senior Health Services in San
Francisco, California. During the following decade, the model evolved
significantly, extending services and developing the model’s
finances.
- In 1987, the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the
Retirement Research Foundation provided funding to On Lok and the first
replication sites to support their efforts.
- The Balanced
Budget Act of 1997 established the PACE model as a permanently
recognized provider type under both the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
- In 2001, Alexian
Brothers Community Services in St. Louis became the first PACE provider
to become a full, permanently recognized part of the Medicare and
Medicaid programs.
Today, there are more
than 44 PACE programs in 19 states across
the country, with 20 more expected to commence operations in 2008.
For more information
about the PACE model and successful sites operating in other parts of
the country, please feel free to browse websites operated by the National PACE Association and by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Health Outcomes
An evaluation report1
of the
PACE demonstration project that was conducted for the Health Care
Financing Administration (HCFA) by Abt Associates found PACE
participants had the following, when compared to older adults with
similar disability levels:
- less than one half the rate of in-patient
hospital utilization;
- higher utilization of ambulatory
services;
- lower rates of nursing home utilization
- improved health status and quality of
life;
- lower mortality rates, holding other
factors constant; and
- increased benefits for those with the
highest levels of impairment
It is reasonable to expect the
same outcomes for participants of Piedmont Health SeniorCare.
1. "Evaluation of the Program of
All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
Demonstration: The Impact of PACE on Participant Outcomes," Chatterji,
Pinka, et al, Report to the Health Care Financing Administration, July
1998
Development
Piedmont Health SeniorCare is
in the process of securing certification as a PACE provider. It
is one of two pilot PACE programs in the state of North Carolina.
Piedmont Health SeniorCare is also one of 15 programs nationally to
receive a start up grant of $500,000 by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services to establish the PACE model serving rural areas.
Piedmont
Health SeniorCare is expected to become operational by September
2008.
