Research

As an innovative model of care serving older adults with long term care needs there has historically been great interest in studying the effectiveness of the PACE^® model of care.

The research results point to many of the reasons so many long term care stakeholders have been supportive of expanding the PACE model of care.  Most importantly, the tracking of PACE enrollees over the years demonstrates that PACE provides better health outcomes than other traditional care and services arrangements for seniors with chronic care needs.  In addition, research has shown that the staff serving these individuals are more satisfied working in a PACE environment.  Other research demonstrates that PACE is an effective use of taxpayer dollars.

Ongoing Research Activities

NPA, through internal and external sources, studies and disseminates information on who PACE serves and the experience of individuals enrolled in PACE.  NPA leads the effort to determine how the model should evolve in response to the rapid changes in the health care system.

Research studies completed or in development are as follows.

Project: "Place of Death and Resource Use Prior to Death in the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)"

Purpose: To investigate place of death and the use of medical care resources prior to death in mature PACE sites.

Organization: University of Rochester (subcontract to ViaHealth)

Contact: Helena Temkin-Greener, PhD, MPH, Director of Research and Development
e-mail: helena.temkin-greener@viahealth.org

Contact: Yvonne Abel, Case Study Director

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Project: "Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Quality Assurance"

Purpose: To develop an Outcome-Based Continuous Quality Improvement (OBCQI) methodology that can be used to assess and improve (on a continuous basis) the quality of care provided to PACE enrollees.

Organization: The Center for Health Services and Policy Research Denver, Colorado

Contact: Peter Shaughnessy, PhD, Principal Investigator (http://www.uchsc.edu/home/)

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Project: PACE Evaluation

Purpose: To evaluate various dimensions of the PACE demonstration including determinants of enrollment, impact of PACE on participant outcomes, effect of PACE on costs to Medicare, and factors contributing to care management and decision-making in the PACE model.

Organization: Abt Associates Inc. Cambridge, MA

Contact: Yvonne Abel, Case Study Director