The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, or GUIDE model, is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative to improve the way dementia care is delivered for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia. The program was launched in 2023, and is run through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
It’s designed to allow people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers to more easily navigate the health care and social support systems and get more timely access to care to prevent or delay institutional care. Additionally, the initiative aims to tackle health equity issues in dementia care. It targets health outcomes and caregiving experiences of underrepresented communities through increased access to specialty dementia care. The GUIDE Model will also provide financial and technical assistance for developing new dementia care programs targeted to underserved areas.
Deeper Dive
According to CMS, the GUIDE model will help improve quality of life for people living with dementia by addressing their behavioral health and functional needs, coordinating their care for dementia and concurrent health conditions, and improving transitions between community, hospital, and post-acute settings. It will also help reduce the burden on unpaid caregivers through caregiver skills training, referrals to community-based social services and supports, 24/7 access to a support line, and respite services, A major goal of the program is to prevent or delay institutional care.
Unlike some other Medicare and Medicaid initiatives, the GUIDE Model is specifically tailored to Medicare beneficiaries with dementia and their unpaid caregivers at any stage of disease, including mild dementia. People with Medicare who receive care from participating providers will be placed in one of five “tiers,” based on a combination of their disease stage and caregiver status. Beneficiary needs, and corresponding care intensity and payment, increase by tier.
GUIDE is an eight-year voluntary model offered in all states, U.S. territories, and D.C. by participating Medicare Part-B enrolled providers with the expertise and capabilities to provide ongoing, longitudinal care and support to people living with dementia.