The state of Virginia is getting another Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Program (PACE). Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services gave Winchester, VA-based Blue Ridge Hospice approval last week to open a PACE program that will serve seniors in the northern Shenandoah Valley.
The program, known as Blue Ridge Independence at Home, is expected to enroll its first PACE participants in the late summer or early fall of next year. The program will initially open a PACE center in Winchester City or Frederick County to serve surrounding counties and plans to open an additional site in eastern Loudoun County in 2024. The addition of Blue Ridge Independence at Home will bring the total number of PACE programs in Virginia to nearly a dozen.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for the northern Shenandoah Valley area,” Blue Ridge Hospice Board Chairman George Caley said in a statement. “PACE will meet an essential need, especially as our population continues to grow, as we strive to ensure our older residents can remain safely at home,”
PACE allows dual eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries who qualify for skilled nursing to live independently in their communities. Enrollees receive a variety of services in their homes and utilize PACE centers for socializing, medication management and physician visits. The program is currently offered in more than 30 states and serves approximately 60,000 seniors and disabled individuals.
PACE programs have been popular with dual-eligible seniors, but expansion of the program has been slow. Last year, Sen. Bob Casey (R-PA) introduced the PACE Plus Act, which would help create more PACE programs, increase the number of seniors and people with disabilities eligible for PACE and cut bureaucratic red tape to get the programs off the ground.
