Primary Care for Older Adults ─ Models and Challenges

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic state-of-the science review of major primary care delivery models, how they address specific needs of older adults, and available evidence for their efficacy. Written by experts in the field, this book explores the patient-centered medical home model (PCMH) in depth and dives into the complexities of the “medical neighborhood”. It describes and analyzes primary care specifically directed toward special, complex populations, such as the Health Home for safety net patients with mental health needs, and intensive primary care for older adults. It reviews an array of primary care models related to dual eligible patients including the GRACE primary care consultation model and PACE models. It describes primary care with Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants and explores in-depth the massive effort within the VA to develop the Patient Activated Care Team (PACT), a VA form of the PCMH that also has several offshoots that address complex older veterans and veterans with severe mental illness. Finally, it illuminates rarely discussed primary care that occurs within the home and within long-term care. Throughout the entire book, experts navigate the workforce, care quality, and financing challenges of primary care for older adults.

Doctor Michael Wasserman presently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Rockport Healthcare Services. Previously, he served as Executive Director, Care Continuum, for Health Services Advisory Group, the QIN-QIO for California. In 2001 he co-founded Senior Care of Colorado, before selling it to IPC in 2010. He is the author of “The Business of Geriatrics.” He previously was President and Chief Medical Officer for GeriMed of America, a Geriatric Medical Management Company where he helped to develop GeriMed’s Clinical Glidepaths in conjunction with Drs. Flaherty and Morley.

Dr. Wasserman completed an Internal Medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at UCLA. He opened Kaiser-Permanente's first outpatient Geriatric Consult Clinic. Dr. Wasserman was a co-founder and owner of Common Sense Medical Management (CSM2), a case management company that helped manage high risk beneficiaries of Cover Colorado. He was formerly a Public Commissioner for the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission. Dr. Wasserman serves on the board of directors of Wish of a Lifetime Foundation, the American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation, and the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

Dr. Riopelle began his career as an emergency physician and was the first full time medical director for Qual-Med. Through the years he became involved in the delivery of care to seniors from the primary care perspective during his years as the founder and CEO of GeriMed of America. He then furthered his interest and passion for senior care becoming involved in population health management in the full risk medicare environment. He currently provides consulting services focusing on population health and physician transformation. He previously served as Chairman of the Forum on Entrepreneurship of the American College of Physician Executives.