Inside PACE with Anthony Zizza

Anthony Zizza, a geriatrician and chief medical officer at Element Care PACE, describes his career from Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard to Landmark Health, a mobile interdisciplinary house-calls group serving the top 5% of complex Medicare Advantage patients, and why PACE was a natural next step. He explains PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) as a Medicare/Medicaid model for adults 55+ who are nursing-home eligible but can live safely in the community with support, offering an integrated package including primary care, transportation, therapies, social work, adult day health, home services, palliative and urgent care, and even long-term care when needed, with examples like providing an air conditioner to prevent COPD exacerbations. The conversation covers eligibility (service area, ADL dependence, dual eligibility, asset limits and look-back), Medicare-only/private pay options, limited geographic availability and heavy regulation, overlap and for-profit expansion, and policy recommendations to expand access earlier and simplify enrollment.   Topics 02:06 Landmark Health House Calls 03:58 Why Landmark Ended 05:20 PACE Explained Basics 06:42 PACE Services and Team 08:04 Outside the Box Care 09:34 Costs and Long Term Care 12:35 Eligibility and Enrollment 16:43 Coverage Areas and Red Tape 18:56 For Profit Growth Debate 20:08 Element Care Mission Stories 23:24 Finding a Local PACE 28:26 Policy and Family Advice 30:43 Criticisms and Risk Adjustment 34:47 Closing Thoughts