Changes and modifications of the PACE program should be made to allow for a greater expansion of the impact on the lives of the population it serves. A sub branch of PACE would be a great future innovative change for the program. Creating a ‘PACE-lite’ program that caters to individuals who are not as frail or in need of nursing home …show more content…
This will allow the enrollee to experience a client-oriented and all-inclusive approach, while in their local PACE program.
In addition to expand coverage of the program, the service area of the program should also expand. The PACE program is limited in which location it is allowed to serve in. The programs geographic proximity should expand, allowing the program to expand. Within California there is a need for this program, therefore the program should be extended to care for those in need. Another way to enlarge the program is to allow for-profit organizations to operate. Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did a study of for-profit Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly demonstration programs (Notarstefano, 2015). This study got submitted to Congress, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that they would no longer put judgment upon the fact that a prospective center was going to be for-profit. The PACE provider application would put this into account when accepting and reviewing the application. This study showed that their was no difference between the quality of measures of a for-profit and non-profit PACE program. It also showed that those in a for-profit PACE program were likely to live independently at home instead of in an institutional setting. As of 2015, only 6 for-profit PACE programs operate …show more content…
PACE is experiencing a high demand because the program is organized and delivered in a novel but effective way, while saving costs. It is an alternative to being in a nursing home, and this alternative is a lot more cost efficient. “PACE clients, while far more frail than the average Medicare recipient, cost taxpayers less money in government-funded medical care, have fewer and shorter hospital stays, rarely wind up in nursing homes, and report satisfaction rates close to 100 percent” (Aging in PACE, 2010). The future of PACE will be used for young disabled individuals who need extended services and this will allow for a great and positive impact on the program (Hirth et al., 2009). These suggested and current modifications to the PACE program (as mentioned in the paper) is part of the future to create a positive setting for the population that is serves. This allows the prospective enrollee to make their own choices, in order to feel comfortable in their setting. Home and Community-Based Services are broadening their options for the consumers and their families, trying to find models that are appropriate for the overall aging population. The PACE program allows for a great impact on the lives of the population that is serves. The growth of the program is inevitable as the current legislative body has allowed for the expansion of coverage to