In late 2016, David Grabowski moderated a AcademyHealth Research Insights meeting of federal policymakers and researchers on post-acute and chronic care, the results of which were published in an issue brief titled: Post-Acute Care and Beyond: Responding to the Growing Need for Chronic Care and via a blog post.
In the report, Grabowski and others debated new strategies and payment models to support post-acute and chronic care, which lead to high costs and not always high quality care. The report considers the policy implications of these strategies and highlights the overlap between post-acute and chronic care as well as the challenges to balancing the priorities of the two populations.
In the blog, AcademyHealth writer Megan Collado identified several innovations to addressing these particular challenges:
Innovations in Post-Acute Care
- Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP)
- Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative
- Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
- IMPACT Act of 2014
- Medicare Advantage care coordination and development of post-acute care provider networks
Innovations in Chronic Care
- Medicaid managed care and Medicaid waiver programs for long-term services and supports
- Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI) demonstrations
- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs
- Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs)
Going forward, Grabowski stressed that we cannot view these populations in isolation from one another in that how we pay for and deliver post-acute care impacts chronic care outcomes, and vice versa. We need to introduce policies that work for all older beneficiaries as they transition across these two sets of services.
AcademyHealth Research Insights aim to foster discussion among policymakers and disseminate critical research to those involved in research and medical care.
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