NPA Thanks CMS for Release of Updated PACE Regulations

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National PACE Association (NPA) thanks the staff of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for their efforts updating the outdated regulations governing Programs of All-Inclusive Care or the Elderly (PACE®), issued in 2006.

"PACE continues to be an innovative model of care even though we have been serving elders with long-term needs and their families for decades," said NPA CEO and President Shawn Bloom. "These updated regulations build on the success of the PACE model and will improve the ability of PACE organizations to keep even more people out of nursing homes and in the community."

PACE is an integrated care delivery model that serves over 49,000 older people in need of nursing home care in the community. PACE successfully saves taxpayer money while delivering high-quality, comprehensive care for nursing home-eligible individuals. Ninety-five percent of PACE enrollees are able to live in the community.

"These new regulations are an important step in helping PACE to grow faster and benefit more people at risk of nursing home placement," said Peter Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy for NPA. "For the last two years NPA has been working with our foundation partners and the PACE community on our PACE 2.0 project seeking to develop additional innovations that will help PACE grow even more quickly and serve new populations in the future. Meanwhile, these new regulations will provide greater flexibilities that will help PACE programs grow faster, operate more efficiently, and enhance care delivery now."

In its press release, CMS indicates that the new regulations will provide more flexibility around the composition of the interdisciplinary team for each individual and standardize the waiver process for common PACE waiver requests. These two changes are key improvements NPA sought when commenting on the proposed rule, and we are encouraged to see them in the press release.

NPA and the PACE community will study the new regulations over the next few days to assess their full impact.

The National PACE Association (NPA) works to advance the efforts of Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®). PACE programs coordinate and provide all needed 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 the NPA website at www.npaonline.org.

Contact Robert Greenwood 443-822-5416

SOURCE National PACE Association