UCI Health SeniorHealth Center selected to test new dementia care model

UCI Health SeniorHealth Center selected to test new dementia care model

Orange, Calif. - UCI Health experts in senior health and geriatric medicine will lead UC Irvine's participation in a new federal program to support people living with dementia, their families and caregivers.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently selected the UCI Health Population Health and Value Based Care program to participate in Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE). The UCI Health SeniorHealth Center will head the program in partnership with the Department of Neurology in the UC Irvine School of Medicine to bring the best in dementia care to Orange County. They are joining nearly 400 sites nationwide that are building Dementia Care Programs (DCPs) to increase care coordination and improve access to services.

"CMS is excited to partner with the UCI Health SeniorHealth Center under the GUIDE Model," said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. "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 not only support 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."

Advocacy for older adults

A long-established leader in advocating for older adults, the SeniorHealth Center was among the country's first to establish a patient-centered medical home for geriatric care in 2014. It is also home to the nation's first Center for Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect. For more than two decades, it has worked to eradicate and educate about elder abuse and mistreatment locally and nationally.

The center also has led the way in the evaluation and treatment of memory loss through its innovative Memory Assessment Services. This comprehensive exam tests attention, concentration, recall, problem-solving and verbal skills. Based on the results, patients and caregivers receive recommendations and resources to increase their quality of life.

Most recently, the SeniorHealth Center has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco on a statewide initiative called Dementia Care Aware. The program brings dementia education and training to primary care physicians through webinars, podcasts and regional events.

"We are excited to adopt the newest dementia care innovation model from CMS in order to continue to serve patients with the support, expertise and compassion that they deserve," says UCI Health geriatrician Dr. Lisa A. Gibbs, who is also chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology in the Department of Family Medicine at UCI School of Medicine.

"We have a very strong clinical care program for patients with dementia, and the GUIDE model will enhance our ability to provide our wide range of services to them and their caregivers."

Key supportive services

Launched on July 1, 2024, the GUIDE Model will test a new payment approach for key supportive services furnished to people living with dementia. These include 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 also will have the assistance and support of a care navigator. This individual assists with access to clinical and non-clinical services through community-based organizations, such as meals and transportation.

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.

This model delivers on a promise in the President Joe Biden administration's Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers and aligns with the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

Learn more about the CMS GUIDE Model ›

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About UCI Health

UCI Health, one of California's largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Recognized as a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About UCI Health - Irvine

UCI Health - Irvine, a new medical complex at the north end of the UC Irvine campus, is bringing unparalleled expertise and the finest evidence-based care that only an academic health system can offer to the communities of coastal and south Orange County. As part of UCI Health - which includes the flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange, Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and multiple outpatient care locations - the new 1.2 million-square-foot campus will offer key clinical programs in oncology, digestive health, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and spine surgery. The nation's first medical center powered by an all-electric central utilities plant, UCI Health - Irvine is home to the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, a five-story, 168,000-square-foot medical facility offering multidisciplinary specialty care for children and adults, urgent care services, the Center for Children's Health and the UCI Health Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building, a five-story, 225,000-square-foot structure. Coming in 2025: a seven-story, 350,000-square-foot, acute care hospital and emergency department.