URI is putting to work a $14 million grant to improve lives and lower healthcare costs for cognitively challenged adults with chronic diseases and those with Alzheimer’s who receive Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

Entitled “Living Rite-A Disruptive Solution for Management of Chronic Care Disease,” and led by Associate Pharmacy Research Professor Elaina K. Goldstein (left), the University’s proposal was chosen for its innovative solution to managing health care challenges.

The three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is projected to save the federal and state governments just over $15 million in health-care costs by preventing illness, emergency room visits, nursing home care, and hospitalization.

The program will integrate the efforts of state agencies, major health systems, educational institutions, disability organizations, and service providers to lower costs and provide comprehensive care for dual-eligible adult Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

“Our goal is to create an environment where people will be able to get preventative care and chronic care management in a place where they already come on a regular basis for recreation and employment. It will be a place where their care is integrated with a team of doctors and care providers and managed using telemedicine capabilities. This way all providers can see and treat patients together, but remotely,” Goldstein said.

When the grant was announced at a press conference attended by numerous Rhode Island officials (center), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D, R.I.) said, quite simply, “This saves money.”

“The federal government is spending money in order to save money. These savings come from improved performance, not from taking things away from people. This will result in better care at a lower cost to the taxpayers. It’s a huge win-win,” he said.

URI President David M. Dooley said, “We are very proud of Professor Goldstein’s work and the team she has built for this innovative project. This truly builds on our interdisciplinary leadership, taps into and expands the reach of some of our most groundbreaking behavior change research and pharmacy practice techniques.”