Assisted Living Providers Get Heads Up on GUIDE Contacts

A new blog post from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) gives practical advice to assisted living providers on the possibility participants in a dementia care innovation model may contact them.

As the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) implements updates to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, assisted living providers may receive requests from GUIDE participants to enter into new or updated partnership agreements.

These agreements are intended to comply with new CMS requirements that took effect July 1, according to the post by Rohini Achal, population health policy analyst, AHCA/NCAL.

“For many AL providers, these partnership requests represent a new CMS requirement rather than a change initiated by the GUIDE Participant. The updated agreements are intended to ensure continued participation in the GUIDE Model under the revised residential care community [RCC] requirements,” the post said. 

What Is GUIDE?

Achal said the GUIDE Model is an eight-year, voluntary Medicare model that began in July 2025 to improve care coordination and quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers. GUIDE participants (Medicare Part B-enrolled providers and suppliers selected by CMS) may partner with RCCs, including assisted living providers to deliver certain GUIDE services through a written partnership agreement.  

Effective July 1, CMS established a new regulatory framework for RCC participation in the GUIDE model.

“GUIDE Participants that currently partner with AL communities, or wish to do so in the future, must obtain CMS approval before adding an RCC as a partner, execute CMS compliant partnership agreements, and submit additional information about Partner Organizations. As part of this process, AL providers may be asked to provide information regarding ownership and controlling interests, related organizations, governance, and organizational information to satisfy CMS reporting and oversight requirements,” Achal said.  

Op Changes

CMS also implemented several operational changes, including that residents of dedicated memory care communities or units are no longer eligible to participate in GUIDE. In addition, GUIDE respite services are no longer available for residents of assisted living communities, regardless of whether they have a primary caregiver. CMS also established a separate RCC payment category for GUIDE participants, the blog said. 

The model FAQs and payment methodology are also available. 

Questions or comments on this article? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.