Abstract
Integrated care systems have a primary goal of providing coordinated care using formal linkages of different types of providers to provide high quality care to populations with complex care needs. The symposium will open with a background analysis of the need for integrated care systems for people with complex care needs, including an overview of the benefits and challenges. The symposium will then present three research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation that examine the past results, present challenges and future opportunities for integrated care. The first paper analyzes the effect that Minnesota’s well-established integrated systems of care have had on health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS) use among dually eligible individuals over age 65. The second paper examines several current integrated systems of care to determine how care coordination is operationalized and the challenges that remain when exchanging information across acute care and LTSS providers. The third paper will examine the opportunities and challenges for expanding the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a fully-integrated care system, to serve younger people with disabilities and the implications of these findings for the older populations currently served by PACE. The discussant will respond to the studies’ findings and discuss the evolution of integrated care and the potential for these delivery systems to provide high quality care for populations with complex and unique needs.