Medicare GUIDE Program

A new national approach to supporting individuals living with dementia—and the caregivers who walk beside them.

The GUIDE Model, introduced through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a groundbreaking care-delivery program designed to transform the dementia journey for families across the United States. Its purpose is simple yet powerful: to ensure that people living with dementia—and their caregivers—receive coordinated, person-centered, and proactive support throughout every stage of the condition.

The Model is a voluntary, nationwide model testing the impact of providing comprehensive services and supports for people with dementia and their caregivers.

The model began on July 1, 2024, and will run for 8 years.

The GUIDE Model establishes a standardized care delivery approach for dementia care:

Interdisciplinary care teams—Teams include clinicians with dementia experience, Care Navigators, and direct care workers providing comprehensive, person-centered care.

Care navigation—Model participants assign aligned Medicare patients with dementia and their caregivers to Care Navigators who facilitate access to clinical services and community-based nonclinical services and resources.

24/7 access—Participants provide round-the-clock support lines for urgent questions and concerns.

Caregiver support—Participants are required to offer caregiver training and support services, as well as connections to community-based providers and resources to reduce caregiver burden based on the caregiver’s needs and responsiveness to ongoing changes in need.

Participants must screen patients and caregivers for psychosocial and health-related social needs, connecting them with local organizations to address financial and logistical challenges like meals and transportation.

Eligibility criteria include:

A diagnosis of Alzheimer's or another dementia
Enrolled in Original Medicare Parts A and B
Not enrolled in Medicare Hospice or PACE
Not residing in a long-term nursing home

For more information:

Search for GUIDE services near you

https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/innovation-models/guide

There may be other requirements. Learn more about eligibility for services under the GUIDE Model.