School of Medicine Program Expands
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAn Indiana University School of Medicine program focusing on addressing the needs of senior citizens has expanded outside the state. Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders has announced partnerships with the University of Michigan, nine physician organizations and a health plan in Michigan. February 9, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – GRACE Team Care from Indiana University School of Medicine announced today the establishment of a significant footprint in the state of Michigan through its work with the University of Michigan, nine leading physician organizations, and one of the state's premier and most widely respected health plans.
GRACE (Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders) offers a fresh approach and a new model of care for effectively managing the health and well-being of high-risk Medicare populations. Going well beyond traditional care coordination, GRACE's high-intensity care-team approach outside of the hospital setting has shown to better the patient experience, particularly for low-income seniors, dual-eligibles, and others with complex medical and social needs.
In support of the University of Michigan Health System, leadership from the GRACE Training and Resource Center of the Indiana University Geriatrics program recently conducted both a webinar and in-person training for those who will have direct accountability for implementing the GRACE program for its members. Regularly scheduled conference calls are continuing, focused on the implementation process, enrollment criteria, and ongoing coordination and tracking of the program's results.
On a parallel track GRACE's agreement with a leading health plan in Michigan represents GRACE's largest training contract to date. In addition to training the plan's leadership team, GRACE is providing training and technical assistance to nine participating physician organizations. These groups include: Mercy Health and their affiliated physicians, United Physicians Inc., Oakland Southfield Physicians, Greater Macomb PHO, IHA, St. John Providence Partners in Care, and Henry Ford Health System.
“We are excited to take what we've learned from years of study and experience and share that knowledge with health plans and providers who are looking for a better way to serve Medicare-eligible citizens who now represent the fastest-growing segment of the American population,” said Steven Counsell, M.D., executive director, GRACE Team Care program. “The GRACE approach delivers tremendous value as it relates to higher quality of life, better quality of care coordination, and lower overall healthcare cost.”
GRACE has been proven to enhance quality of geriatric care in ways that optimize quality of life and decrease excess healthcare use, including avoidance of hospitalization and visits to the emergency department. GRACE may also prevent or delay the need for long-term nursing home placement by allowing seniors to stay in their homes with better support.
The catalyst for the GRACE program is its support team, headed by a nurse practitioner and a social worker who complement the primary care physician in fully addressing the patient's health conditions and achieving a patient's goal from the comfort of their own home. The GRACE team provides patients with specialized care for geriatric conditions (e.g., falls, depression and memory problems), healthcare education; medication management; and coordination of care between specialty physicians, the emergency department, hospitals and a broad array of community support services.
In addition to providing significant value to the patient, studies have shown that GRACE can produce a 95 percent ROI per year for the sponsoring health plan. In doing so GRACE generates cash flow and cost savings for sponsoring organizations while at the same time enhancing quality care provided to its members.
The efficacy of the GRACE solution in smartly addressing health issues associated with aging while coordinating care for vulnerable seniors has been documented in a 2014 study from Avalere Health as well as in recent articles in JAMA, Health Affairs, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and many other places. In addition to its presence in Michigan, GRACE Team Care is also offered through the Medicare Advantage program of IU Health Plans and is being successfully applied at several other health plans, medical groups and VA hospitals in select markets around the country.
Further information on GRACE may be obtained at http://graceteamcare.indiana.edu.
Contacts
Source: GRACE Team Care