Program characteristics and enrollees' outcomes in the program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE)

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a unique program providing a full spectrum of health care services, from primary to acute to long-term care for frail elderly individuals certified to require nursing home care. The objective of this article is to identify program characteristics associated with better risk-adjusted health outcomes: mortality, functional status, and self-assessed health. The article examines statistical analyses of information combining DataPACE (individual-level clinical data), a survey of direct care staff about team performance, and interviews with management in twenty-three PACE programs. Several program characteristics were associated with better functional outcomes. Fewer were associated with long-term self-assessed health, and only one with mortality. These findings offer strategies that may lead to better care.