Little Rock Senior AdvisorWhat is PACE in central Arkansas?
PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, coordinates primary care, specialists, prescriptions, day-center services, home care and transportation for people 55 and older who need nursing home level of care but can live safely in the community; in central Arkansas it is offered by Baptist Health PACE, with a center in North Little Rock.
The PACE team becomes the participant's medical provider and care manager, so it suits families who want one organization coordinating everything.
Which counties does PACE serve around Little Rock?
DHS lists the central Arkansas PACE region as Faulkner, Garland, Hot Spring, Lonoke, Pulaski and Saline counties, which covers most of the Little Rock metro but not Grant or Perry counties.
Service areas are set by ZIP code within those counties, so confirm your parent's address with the program before counting on it.
Who qualifies for PACE in Arkansas?
A person 55 or older who needs nursing home level of care as determined by the Office of Long Term Care, lives in a PACE service area, and meets one of DHS's functional tests: extensive help with transferring, eating or toileting, limited help with two of those, or a dementia diagnosis with cognitive impairment.
Medicaid pays for PACE for people who qualify financially. Others can join by paying a monthly premium, which the program quotes.
What should families know before enrolling in PACE?
PACE replaces a participant's usual doctors with the PACE team's providers, and care outside the program generally has to be authorized by PACE, except in emergencies.
Ask how often participants attend the day center, how transportation works from your parent's neighborhood, and what happens if nursing home care becomes necessary; PACE can pay for it.
How does PACE compare with ARChoices?
Both serve people at nursing home level of care who want to stay home, but PACE also becomes the participant's medical provider and runs a day center, while ARChoices pays for in-home services and leaves medical care with the participant's own doctors.
Families who value keeping a long-time doctor often prefer ARChoices; families who want one team coordinating everything often prefer PACE. Grant and Perry County residents are outside PACE's central region, so ARChoices is their main option.
Side by side
| PACE is | PACE is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Medical care, day center, home help and transport in one plan | A housing program |
| Age | 55 and older at nursing home level of care | For anyone on Medicare |
| Doctors | The PACE team's own providers | Your existing doctors by default |
| Area | Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, Lonoke and nearby counties | Grant or Perry County |
Sources: Arkansas Office of Long Term Care assisted living rules, the Health Services Permit Agency's Bed Need Book, Arkansas DHS waiver and PACE fact sheets, CMS, CareScout and VA rate tables, each cited in the text. Our editorial standards explain how we check them.
