Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Choose CT Hospice For GUIDE Program

BRANFORD, CT —The Connecticut Hospice was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to participate in a new Medicare alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Under CMS’ Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, known as the GUIDE Model, The Connecticut Hospice, Inc., will be one of just 400 participants building Dementia Care Programs across the country, working to increase care coordination and improve access to services and supports, including respite care, for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

GUIDE participants represent a wide range of healthcare providers, including large academic medical centers, small group practices, community-based organizations, health systems, hospice agencies, and other practices.

“CMS is excited to partner with The Connecticut Hospice, Inc., under the GUIDE Model,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said. “GUIDE is a new approach to how Medicare will pay for the care of people living with dementia. The GUIDE participants are envisioning new ways to support not only people living with dementia but also to reduce strain on the people who care for them so that more Americans can remain in their homes and communities, rather than in institutions.”

Launched July 1, the GUIDE Model will test a new payment approach for key supportive services furnished to people living with dementia, including comprehensive, person-centered assessments and care plans; care coordination; 24/7 access to an interdisciplinary care team member or helpline; and certain respite services to support caregivers. People with dementia and their caregivers will have the assistance and support of a Care Navigator to help them access clinical and non-clinical services such as meals and transportation through community-based organizations.

“We have been offering our Magnolia Program to patients in the final stage of dementia for the last few years,” Connecticut Hospice, Inc., CEO Barbara Pearce said. “Being able to expand the population we help to include those earlier in the dementia disease cycle is a natural next step for us.”

The Connecticut Hospice, Inc.’s participation in the GUIDE Model will help people living with dementia and their caregivers have access to education and support, such as training programs on best practices for caring for a loved one living with dementia. The GUIDE Model also provides respite services for certain people, enabling caregivers to take temporary breaks from their caregiving responsibilities. Respite is being tested under the GUIDE Model to assess its effect on helping caregivers continue to care for their loved ones at home, preventing or delaying the need for facility care.

The Connecticut Hospice, Inc., America’s First and Oldest Hospice, provides comprehensive and compassionate hospice, palliative, and other supportive care management services, in a residential home, assisted living center, skilled nursing facility, or at our 52-bed waterfront hospital.

For more information on services, visit www.hospice.com.