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Work Groups

Rural PACE Technical Assistance Program
Strategies for Adapting PACE to Serve Rural Areas -
Workgroup Descriptions

The Rural PACE Technical Assistance Program invites interested organizations to participate in workgroups developing strategies for adapting PACE to serve rural areas. The shared goal of the workgroups is to identify strategies that that will retain the outcomes of the PACE model of care while enabling the model to perform in a rural setting. Each workgroup focuses on a specific strategy.

Throughout February and March of 2004, each workgroup will meet a total of four times for one hour. After March, each workgroup's members will determine the frequency of additional calls if needed. In addition to the conference calls, we will establish listservs for each workgroup to support their members' communication.

Workgroup membership is voluntary. Representatives from organizations that have registered with the Rural PACE Technical Assistance Program are invited to participate in a workgroup. Multiple representatives from an organization may serve on one or more workgroups.

The workgroups are:

  • Staffing - general staffing requirements, recruitment and retention, skill level requirements, health professions training opportunities
  • Financing - need for start up funding, operating revenues and costs, sources and uses of funds
  • Infrastructure - developing the underlying transportation and delivery site infrastructure needed to provide services
  • Technology - applying telehealth, telemedicine and teleconferencing technologies in the PACE model
  • Provider Network Development - developing provider networks to assure delivery of the full scope of PACE services across a rural service area, integrating direct delivery of care/services with contracted services
  • Risk Management Strategies - effective care-management and its link to risk management, stop-loss insurance, contract terms, and other approaches to risk management
  • Community Needs Assessment - critical elements in the community (resident needs, service provider capacity) that shape the need and delivery of PACE in a rural setting

After all workgroups have met twice, we will convene a call with a representative from each workgroup. This call will identify opportunities to exchange information and ideas across workgroups. After this cross-workgroup call, we will schedule the next two calls, followed again by a concluding call of representatives from each workgroup.

For additional information or if you have questions, please contact Peter Fitzgerald with the National PACE Association at 703/535-1521 or Shelly Ten Napel with the National Rural Health Association at 703/519-7910.