The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected Emory Integrated Memory Care in Atlanta to participate in a new Medicare alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.

A joint initiative between the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare, Emory Integrated Memory Care offers geriatric primary care, dementia care and caregiver education and support. The nurse-managed practice is available as an outpatient clinic at the Emory Brain Health Center in Brookhaven and at select Atlanta-area senior living communities.

Under CMS’ Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, the Emory Integrated Memory Care practice will be one of almost 400 participants — and the only one in 2024 in Georgia — building dementia care programs across the country to increase care coordination and improve access to services and supports, including respite care, for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

“CMS is excited to partner with Emory Integrated Memory Care under the GUIDE Model,” says 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 support not only 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.”

Launched on July 1, 2024, the GUIDE Model will test a new payment approach for key supportive services furnished to people living with dementia, including:

• Comprehensive, person-centered assessments and care plans
• Care coordination
• 24/7 access to an interdisciplinary care team member or helpline
• Caregiving education and support
• Certain respite services to support caregivers.

People with dementia and their caregivers will also have the assistance and support of a care navigator to help them access clinical and non-clinical services such as meals and transportation through community-based organizations.

Emory Integrated Memory Care is the only primary care practice in the U.S. specifically designed for people living with dementia and their care partners. The practice operates under the management of nurse practitioners with advanced training and specialization in dementia, geriatrics and palliative care.

Except for respite services, the Emory Integrated Memory Care practice already provides the services outlined in GUIDE, enabling it to be one of only a handful of GUIDE participants who will immediately begin taking part in the initiative, Clevenger says.

GUIDE participants represent a range of health care providers, including large academic medical centers, small group practices, community-based organizations, health systems, hospice agencies and other practices. The model is part of the 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.

As one of the nation’s top nursing schools, the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is committed to educating visionary nurse leaders and scholars. Home to the No. 1 master’s, No. 3 BSN and No. 6 DNP programs nationwide, the school offers undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and non-degree programs, bringing together cutting-edge resources, distinguished faculty, top clinical experiences and access to leading health care partners to shape the future of nursing. Learn more.

Emory Healthcare, with nearly 24,000 employees and 11 hospitals, is Georgia’s most comprehensive academic health system. It has 2,796 licensed patient beds and more than 3,450 physicians serving metro Atlanta and Georgia. It also provides services through a joint venture at St. Francis–Emory Healthcare Hospital in Columbus, 10 regional affiliate hospitals and a clinically integrated physician network. Learn more.