Creating a Comprehensive Care System for Frail Elders in "Age Boom" America

Current options being discussed by policymakers cannot yield the highly reliable, highly efficient service delivery system-inclusive of both health care and community-based supportive services-that the nation's upcoming and transformative "age wave" will require. More far-reaching and rapid innovations in policy and health care delivery are essential. The MediCaring Accountable Care Community initiative is a comprehensive model that can deliver higher quality care for frail elderly Medicare beneficiaries at a lower per capita cost. The savings generated by adhering to established geriatric principles in the delivery of medical care would help fund community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS), using a modified Accountable Care Organization (ACO) known as an Accountable Care Community (ACC). A Community Board would monitor the quality and supply of services for frail elders, the most expensive phase of most lives. The constellation of improvements that form the basis of this model are congruent with the goal of improving access to LTSS, which is one of the 4 areas targeted by the Sixth White House Conference on Aging.