Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) features a comprehensive and seamless service delivery system and integrated Medicare and Medicaid financing. Eligible individuals are age 55 years or older and meet the clinical criteria to be admitted to a nursing home but choose to remain in the community. An array of coordinated services is provided to support PACE participants to prevent the need for nursing home admission. An interdisciplinary team, consisting of professional and paraprofessional staff, assesses participants’ needs; develops care plans; and delivers or arranges for all services (including acute care and, when necessary, nursing facility services), either directly or through contracts. PACE programs provide social and medical services, primarily in an adult day health center setting referred to as the “PACE center,” and supplement this care with in-home and referral services in accordance with the participants’ needs.

PACE provides comprehensive medical and social services to certain frail, elderly people (participants) still living in the community. Most of the participants who are in PACE are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Key research findings demonstrate PACE effectiveness in delivering gold-standard care for older adults and its approach can be a model for others looking to improve the health care system.

PACE is effective and efficient in treating individuals with multiple and complex health care needs with both caregivers and participants rating PACE high in satisfaction. Participants report they are healthier, happier and more independent than counterparts in other care settings and they live longer than enrollees in a home- and community- based waiver program. PACE reduces the need for costly, long-term nursing home care, produces Medicare savings, and/or significantly reduces preventable hospitalizations.