Kootenai Accountable Care partners with tech-enabled dementia care leader Ceresti Health to improve lives and reduce hospitalizations through CMS’s GUIDE Model
COEUR D’ALENE, ID, UNITED STATES, February 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — On the heels of an announcement by CMS that millions of people now have access to dementia caregiver education, training and support, Kootenai Accountable Care (KAC) and Ceresti Health are partnering to improve patient care, support physicians, and reduce avoidable hospitalizations associated with dementia.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released a letter to all eligible beneficiaries who are living with dementia, alerting them to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, an eight-year program that provides family caregivers with personalized training and support.
Following the GUIDE announcement, physicians nationwide are expecting an increase in requests for referrals to programs such as Ceresti – a surge for which KAC, which is part of the Kootenai Care Network, was well prepared, said Susan Melchiore, M.D., a practicing geriatrician at Kootenai Health’s Memory Consultation Clinic.
Dr. Melchiore said her practice had become aware of Ceresti through their patients and reached out to the dementia caregiver program to improve their patients’ outcomes and experiences.
“After seeing patient-caregiver dyads come in, carrying the Ceresti tablet, asking informed questions, and providing our physicians with helpful information, we realized that Ceresti would be a valuable partner for our patients and physicians alike,” said Susan Melchiore, M.D., practicing geriatrician at Kootenai Health’s Memory Consultation Clinic. “We are excited to roll this out to more families to improve patient outcomes and aid our physicians.”
Independently validated clinical study results confirm Ceresti reduces medical costs by more than 40 percent within the first year of engagement. Ceresti’s program is optimized to reduce costly and harmful patient hospitalizations while bolstering the knowledge, skills and confidence of family caregivers.
As a turnkey solution, Ceresti offers ACOs a no-risk shared savings model from a patient population which typically has limited engagement in traditional clinical programs.
“We are thrilled to partner with KAC to serve its Medicare patients who are living with dementia. Kootenai providers are leaders in patient care. Enrolling patients living with dementia into our proven technology-enabled program will give them access to personalized health education, resources and care navigator coaching,” said Dirk Soenksen, CEO of Ceresti Health. “Our model is unique in how it supports and activates the caregiver to become an essential member in the patient’s care team.”
The partnership heeds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) call for increased access to support for people with dementia and their caregivers through the new CMS Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model. As a GUIDE participant selected by CMS, Ceresti offers KAC patients access to a no-cost, evidence-based dementia program that has been purpose-built for ACOs because it unlocks thousands of dollars in shared savings per patient, with zero out-of-pocket fees.
“We have seen Ceresti improve outcomes, lower costs and reduce the burden on physicians who are managing a growing population of people living with dementia,” Soenksen said. “We are excited to work with KAC to expand access to Ceresti Health and the GUIDE model.”
About Ceresti Health
Ceresti Health is a tech-enabled dementia care provider with a differentiated model of care that activates family caregivers to improve outcomes and significantly reduce the high and largely hidden healthcare costs associated with dementia. Independently validated clinical studies found that Ceresti reduced avoidable hospitalizations by more than 40%. Ceresti has been selected to participate in the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. The goal of the GUIDE Model is to increase access to much-needed support for people living with dementia and their caregivers. To learn more about Ceresti Health, visit www.ceresti.com.
About Kootenai Accountable Care
Kootenai Accountable Care is a part of Kootenai Care Network, which was established in 2016 to enhance community health by providing integrated, high-quality care across multiple healthcare providers and payors. It expanded its offerings to include Kootenai Accountable Care for Medicare patients in 2017 and Kootenai Value Care for Medicaid patients in 2021. Kootenai Care Network manages eight value-based care contracts, coordinating care for over 65,000 patients through a network of approximately 700 providers.
Mayrav Saar
Ceresti Health
mayrav.saar@ceresti.com
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