Main Library
Assisted living is a “very important” part of the care continuum and isn’t going away, but one area of focus for the future, even among private-pay operators, should be population health management, National Center for Assisted Living Executive Director LaShuan Bethea said Sunday.
“Value-based care is another way to look at population health management, and it’s more focused on the Medicare beneficiary,” she explained during a panel discussion about the future of assisted living that capped off NCAL Day.
Bethea shared that more than 50% of assisted living residents who are Medicare beneficiaries are covered by a Medicare Advantage plan, and the percentage is growing. Another 20% of residents receive care as part of an accountable care organization, she said.
“Together, that makes over 70% of individuals that are in our buildings … in some type of accountable care relationship,” Bethea said. “We are going to start to see external entities look to us to play a part in what that value-based care looks like, and so it is ultimately going to have some impact on how we operate.”