Tulsa Senior AdvisorIs there a PACE program in Tulsa?
Yes. OHCA lists LIFE PACE in Tulsa (918-949-9969), serving a list of Tulsa-area ZIP codes, and Cherokee Elder Care PACE in Tahlequah (918-453-5554), whose service area includes ZIP codes in Wagoner County.
Service areas are defined by ZIP code, so check your parent's address with the program before planning around it. OHCA's PACE unit answers general questions at 405-522-7044.
Who qualifies for PACE in Oklahoma?
A person must be 55 or older, need a nursing home level of care as certified by the state, live in a PACE service area and be able to live safely in the community when they enroll; for SoonerCare to pay, income must be at or below 300% of the SSI level, the same test as ADvantage.
People who do not qualify for SoonerCare can still join PACE by paying a monthly premium.
What does PACE cover?
PACE becomes the participant's source for all Medicare- and Medicaid-covered care, coordinated by an interdisciplinary team, usually centered on a day health center with transportation, primary care, therapy, home care and prescriptions.
The trade-off is choice: participants use the PACE program's doctors and network. For a family caregiver in Tulsa who works, the day center and transportation are often the biggest practical help.
How does PACE compare with the ADvantage waiver?
Both serve people who meet nursing home level of care and use the same SoonerCare income test, but ADvantage pays for services from separate providers you choose, while PACE replaces your Medicare and Medicaid coverage with one organization that provides or arranges all care.
PACE suits people who would benefit from a day center, transportation and a single care team; ADvantage suits people who want to keep their own doctors and receive help mainly at home or in a participating assisted living center. A person cannot be enrolled in both at once.
Can a PACE participant move into a nursing home?
Yes; if a participant eventually needs nursing home care, PACE continues to coordinate and pay for it, so enrolling in PACE does not rule out a later move.
Ask the program which Tulsa-area nursing homes it contracts with, since the participant would use those homes.
At a glance
| PACE is | PACE is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | All Medicare and Medicaid services through one team | A supplement to your existing doctors |
| Who | 55+, nursing home level of care, in the service area | Open to every Tulsa-area ZIP code |
| Setting | Day health center plus home support | Residential care |
Sources include the Oklahoma Administrative Code (chapters 310:663, 310:680, 310:673, 310:675 and 310:605), OSDH, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Human Services, the Oklahoma Attorney General, CareScout, CMS and the VA, as cited above; see our editorial standards.
