By Cameron Zargar, PhD

Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of the National PACE Association (NPA), recently was asked to appear on the long-term care podcast LTC Heroes. During the episode, he spoke with Peter Murphy Lewis, of Experience Care, about the distinguishing characteristics of Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), the reasons for their success, and future challenges.

When asked to describe the identity of PACE, Bloom said, “We are diverting people away from more expensive, less effective options to keep people in the community.” To make that a reality for more seniors, NPA is working to make eligibility for PACE easier.

Lewis was curious to know how PACE had found such tremendous success in such a short span of time.

“We directly employ our caregivers,” Bloom said. “Our physicians are salaried individuals dedicated all day long to the care of participants.” In addition, he stressed the importance of giving proper backing to the right individuals. “I believe in hiring really good people, intensely supporting them, and bouncing ideas off of them in meetings and collaborations,” he said. “That results in them successfully climbing the very steep learning curve of PACE.” 

While the future of PACE is bright, Bloom sees areas for improvement. “We need to be more assertive about expanding awareness in the community and getting creative with the PACE philosophy,” he said. While there was an uptick in innovation during the pandemic, “We also discovered that there's a lot of room for innovation that we didn't realize.”

It is that sort of aspiration that puts PACE at the forefront of improving long-term care for America’s seniors. 

Cameron Zargar, PhD, is director of content and editor-in-chief of the Experience Care website.