Since launching the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative in October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has worked with health insurers in seven regions to change the way primary care is delivered in the U.S.
CMS is now asking for comments through March 16 to test primary care models and move toward more value-based payments instead of the traditional fee-for-service approach. It seeks input from consumers, providers, payers, vendors and others involved in healthcare.
In a release, CMS said its topics of interest include the increased comprehensiveness of primary care; caring for patients with complex needs; collaborations between primary care and other clinical and community-based care; moving towards population-based payments; supporting small primary care practices; seeking advanced primary care within accountable care organizations; participation from multiple payers; performance measurement; and the use of health information technology.
The Comprehensive Primary Care initiative includes 479 practices and 2,725 providers who serve approximately 2,732,278 patients as of Feb. 20. There are also 38 public and private payers participating, according to CMS.
The goals of the program are risk-stratified care management; access and continuity; planned care for chronic conditions and preventive care; patient and caregiver engagement; and coordination of care across the medical neighborhood.
Primary care practices participating in the program receive monthly non-visit based care management fees as well as the opportunity to share in any cost savings to Medicare.
The initiative is scheduled to end in December 2016.
Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.