Calay Ip, the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of Element Care, brings over 20 years of healthcare leadership to her role at the leading provider of senior care services. In a recent interview, Ip outlined her top priorities for her first year, including ensuring operational excellence, strengthening financial performance, and expanding access to Element Care's interdisciplinary, coordinated care. 'My focus will be optimizing and enhancing our high-quality care models that will support our care givers so they can continue to provide exceptional, person-centered care to our participants,' Ip said. She also emphasized leading Element Care through its next phase of growth to advance the company's vision of compassionate, affordable care for seniors.
Ip was drawn to Element Care and the PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) model because of its legacy of delivering compassionate, comprehensive care to older adults in Massachusetts. 'For the last 30 years, Element Care has led the charge in meeting people where they are and coordinating every aspect of care from transportation, to scheduling appointments, and even at-home visits,' she noted. PACE is unique because it offers a holistic approach that streamlines senior care by bringing all medical care under one roof, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and personalized attention. This reduces hospitalizations, lowers costs, and improves quality of life for participants. Element Care also partners with organizations like 2Life to offer affordable housing with on-site access to medical care.
Drawing from her experience leading large-scale turnarounds and expansions, Ip highlighted the importance of data-driven decisions, operational efficiency, and team empowerment. 'Using analytics to understand performance can unlock new opportunities. Streamlining processes allows us to reinvest resources where they matter most—in our participants,' she said. Ip also pointed to promising innovations such as remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and AI-powered data analytics as tools that enable real-time health monitoring and proactive intervention. She believes integrated models that bridge healthcare and social services are key to improving outcomes for older adults.
Looking ahead, Ip predicts that PACE will continue to expand nationally, particularly in underserved areas, as value-based care gains traction. 'It's projected that a quarter of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by 2060. This rapid growth underscores the importance of programs like PACE that may become more widely recognized as a cost-saving solution that improves quality of life for the aging population,' she said. To emerging healthcare leaders, Ip advises being lifelong learners and prioritizing the human element. 'The most effective leaders are those who seek out opportunities to learn from every level of the organization—from frontline staff to the participants themselves,' she added.
