Case Study: Long Term Care Consulting

The Client:
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS),Finance and Management Services (FMS), in conjunction with Division of Senior and Disabilities Services (DSDS)

The Project:
Comprehensive review and evaluation of Alaska’s long-term care system.

The Challenge:
Alaska’s long term care system – serving the elderly, individuals with dementia, individuals with traumatic brain injuries and physical disabilities, and individuals with developmental disabilities – faces a distinct challenge due to the state’s vast geography, extreme climate, and dramatically changing demographics. PCG was asked to complete an evaluation of the state’s long-term care system and recommend strategies to help identify service barriers such as parallel systems of care, low provider rates, and inconsistent service delivery.

The PCG Approach:
To complete a thorough analysis of Alaska’s long-term care system PCG took a number of steps:

• Intensive data collection, relying on provider agencies, state advocacy groups, and state agencies;
• On-site stakeholder interviews and focus groups in three regional locations to gain consumer input on service delivery;
• Six-state comparison study to reveal strengths and weaknesses of Alaska’s long-term care system as compared to similar states;
• Recommendations that relied heavily on identified best practices in long-term care and a transition plan to implement those recommendations.

The Result:
PCG delivered both short- and long-term recommendations along with detailed strategies to improve Alaska’s long-term care service delivery system. Strategies for implementation addressed the programmatic and reimbursement issues identified by our analysis, and sought to maximize the beneficial fiscal impacts the state could receive.