Rippl Achieves Strong GUIDE Performance Results in Program Year 1
Rippl's first year in GUIDE delivered strong performance across quality, experience, and cost.
By Kara English
Senior Program Manager, Clinical Product
We are incredibly proud to share our GUIDE Performance Measure results for Program Year 1 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025). As a first-year GUIDE participant, these results mark an important milestone and an early signal that specialized, dementia-focused care can deliver strong outcomes for patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system.
CMS uses GUIDE participant performance results to determine and calculate an associated increase to all GUIDE-related claims. As a result of Rippl’s strong performance across quality, patient experience, and cost measures, Rippl has maximized the increased potential for Program Year 1.
These results tell a broad and meaningful story: when dementia care is designed intentionally and delivered by teams who specialize in it, the impact is not only measurable, but impactful.
Measuring what matters in dementia care
The GUIDE Model evaluates participants across multiple elements of care including medication safety, patient quality of life outcomes, and healthcare utilization.. Program Year 1 was as much about establishing strong operational foundations as it was about performance. Rippl’s results reflect consistent execution across these measures.
Medication safety in older adults
Medication management is a critical component of clinical dementia care, particularly for older adults who may be more vulnerable to adverse effects.
In Program Year 1, Rippl achieved 100% reporting on high-risk medication prescribing by Rippl providers. This reflects our commitment to clinical oversight, thoughtful prescribing, and ongoing monitoring as part of comprehensive dementia care.
Quality of life outcomes
Quality of life is at the center of Rippl’s care model. In our first GUIDE performance year, Rippl achieved 100% reporting on patient-reported quality of life outcomes using the PROMIS-10 measure.100% reporting demonstrates our commitment to understanding how patients are feeling and functioning, and to using that insight to guide care.
Supporting people to remain in the community
One of the core goals of the GUIDE Model is to help people living with dementia remain supported in their homes and communities for as long as possible.
Rippl’s performance on reducing long-term nursing home admissions showed a very low observed-to-expected ratio relative to CMS benchmarks. This means that fewer Rippl GUIDE patients were admitted to a long-term nursing home than would otherwise be expected without the GUIDE program. While the program is early in its implementation,these results already point to the impact proactive care coordination and caregiver support can have on helping dementia patients remain in their homes longer.
Delivering value through specialized dementia care
Rippl also performed strongly on total per-capita cost which aligns with trends we’ve previously reported. In earlier analyses, Rippl saw a 30% decrease in emergency room visits and a 15% decrease in hospital utilization among people living with dementia enrolled in our care model.
Together, these outcomes reinforce the value of proactive, specialized dementia care that helps address issues earlier, reduces avoidable acute events, and keeps people supported in the right setting.
You can read more about Rippl’s approach to managing costs through fewer ER visits and hospital admissions in our prior post: Managing costs with fewer ER visits and fewer hospital admissions for seniors with dementia.
Looking ahead
Program Year 1 was about building the foundation: implementing systems, supporting patients and caregivers, and learning how to operate the GUIDE Model at-scale. These results affirm that Rippl is on the right path.
As we move into future program years, we’ll continue refining our approach, deepening partnerships, and staying focused on what matters most: helping people living with dementia and those who care for them have more good days.
We’re grateful to our clinical teams, care navigators, program management staff, and partners who made this first year a success.
The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. The authors assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this document.