HATBORO, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wesley Enhanced Living applauds Congressmen Joe Barton and Ralph Hall of Texas for signing on as new cosponsors of HR 2376, the Medicare Residential Care Coordination Act. The bill, written by Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick, will allow up to five states to create and implement new models which feature lifetime health and housing benefits for seniors in a residential setting, specifically a Continuing Care Retirement Community, within the existing Medicare and Medicaid programs. “All the research shows that helping seniors navigate the health care delivery system to get the right care at the right time saves money and improves outcomes,” said Ron Jennette, President and CEO of Methodist Retirement Communities, based in The Woodlands. "Given the huge number of senior retirement communities in our area, Texas is the perfect place to test new models such as WELShift – http://www.welshift.org.”
Medical homes, care coordination, accountable care organizations and chronic disease management are among the most promising strategies for lowering costs and improving senior health care delivery. HR 2376 applies these and other strategies to a Continuing Care Retirement Community to maximize their effectiveness. These new communities would lower the total cost of care for seniors by providing on-site care coordination and disease management services to avoid hospitalizations. An interdisciplinary health care team, led by salaried primary care physicians, would integrate comprehensive primary and post-acute health care services and coordinate acute and specialist care.
“The current patchwork of senior health and housing programs are not only insufficient, but also unsustainable,” says Jeff Petty, President and CEO of Wesley Enhanced Living and architect of WELShift, a model that promises substantially improved outcomes for seniors and projected savings of 30% for Medicare and 20%-35% for Medicaid. “I am pleased that Congressmen Barton and Hall have joined Congressman Fitzpatrick and the co-sponsors of HR 2376, a bill that proactively creates new and innovative healthcare and housing service delivery models that will be more responsive to seniors’ needs, more accessible to the growing aging population, and a more efficient use of taxpayer resources.”
About Wesley Enhanced Living (WEL)
Wesley Enhanced Living (WEL) continuing care retirement communities are non-profit and faith-based with a mission to deliver a purpose-filled life to residents. Serving approximately 1,200 residents with more than 900 employees throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, WEL provides various combinations of independent living, personal care services, dementia care, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing services. WEL also manages subsidized senior housing facilities in Philadelphia. For more information please visit www.WEL.org.