Study: PACE participants with disabilities experience fewer SNF admissions

This article was originally published on McKnights Home Care.

Adults with disabilities who participated in the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) reported satisfaction with their care and spent fewer total stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) compared to nonparticipants, according to a July study published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“Our results are relevant to the evolving healthcare landscape,” authors said. “PACE’s intensive care management, day care and transportation services may outweigh the broader provider choice of traditional managed care. Patient outcomes and cost data are central to advocacy for PACE sustainability. Yet PACE is offered at states’ discretion and is not a mandatory Medicare/Medicaid benefit; under fiscal pressure, programs often struggle to maintain adequate rates and grow enrollment.”

The study examined data on 51 PACE participants with disabilities between the ages of 56 and 68 who were assigned to participate in the Community LIFE PACE program in the Pittsburgh, PA, area. Researchers tracked health outcomes by assessing each participant’s function, quality of life, mood and community participation. Meanwhile, they self-assessed their own care experience using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC). Cost and utilization outcomes included number of emergency room (ER) visits, costs of ER visits, SNF length of stay as well as costs associated with SNF stays.

The results showed that, over the course of the study, three participants were admitted to SNFs for a total of 468 days at a total cost of $126,447. With regard to satisfaction with care, the overall PACIC scores continued to indicate high satisfaction (>80%) with care throughout the study period, but there were no consistent trends observed. PACE participants also had more ER visits, more hospitalizations, higher hospital lengths of stay and fewer outpatient visits compared to the control group, but authors note that this was likely affected by a small number of outliers overutilizing care.