NPA Applauds Bipartisan House and Senate Bills Directing CMS to Issue PACE Final Rule by End of the Year

The National PACE Association (NPA) is lauding bipartisan House and Senate legislation directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Final Rule by Dec. 31, 2018. "We appreciate leaders in Congress supporting our efforts to expand the number of individuals who can benefit from the unique PACE model of care," says NPA CEO Shawn Bloom. "NPA and PACE organizations have been working for years to obtain greater flexibility in the PACE regulations to help PACE grow faster and reach more people." The bills were motivated by CMS's release of the Proposed PACE Rule in August 2016. PACE providers have been urging regulatory changes so they can expand faster, operate with greater efficiency, and improve care for enrollees. PACE programs serve those whose health conditions make them eligible for nursing community care but allow them to remain in the community for as long as possible. Ninety-five percent of PACE enrollees live in the community, with the appropriate services and supports supplied by the program. "It is a testament to the hard work of our membership to see CMS support new opportunities opening up to expand PACE," Bloom says. The Final Rule is expected to permit PACE to tailor the makeup of the interdisciplinary team around the needs of each individual enrollee, deliver more services in community settings outside of the PACE center, and give PACE more flexibility to partner with community providers.