Engaging with the Massachusetts Care Landscape

Engaging with the Massachusetts Care Landscape

(ASAPs • PACE Programs • SCO Plans • Payers)

We reviewed strategies for engaging with the major organizations involved in care delivery and care coordination across Massachusetts. These entities serve overlapping populations but operate in separate systems with different rules, funding streams, and contracting processes.

ASAPs (Aging Services Access Points)

ASAPs are state-designated agencies contracted with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. They coordinate and authorize state-funded home care, community programs, and protective services.

• Each ASAP operates independently.
• Providers must understand each ASAP’s own intake, contracting, and referral processes.
• ASAP requirements are specific to the state home care program, not federal or medical models.

PACE Programs (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)

PACE is a federal model providing comprehensive medical, social, and home care to adults who qualify for nursing-facility level of care.

• PACE organizations (including Fallon Summit ElderCare and others) are not part of the ASAP network.
• They have their own participation requirements, attestations, and contracting pathways.
• PACE coordinates all care for enrolled participants, including home care services.

SCO Plans (Senior Care Options) & Other Payers

SCOs and other managed-care plans operate under MassHealth and Medicare.

• Each plan—such as Fallon NaviCare, Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA), Tufts Health Unify, etc.—sets its own criteria for credentialing and contracting.
• These requirements differ from both ASAP and PACE expectations.
• Provider networks may overlap, but the processes and obligations are distinct.

Next Steps for Members

• Join our member meetings to see how ASAP, SCO, and PACE expectations differ, and where provider operations overlap