Primary Care Services

Primary care delivery is similar across all Medicare patient mixes

March 27, 2024 - Care delivery, care coordination, and administrative challenges were similar across primary care physicians serving traditional Medicare patients and those serving Medicare Advantage patients, a Commonwealth Fund brief found. Unlike traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans receive capitated payments from the government to cover...


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CMS announces new ACO model focused on primary care

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS will test a new accountable care organization (ACO) model that focuses on primary care providers starting next year. A recent announcement states that CMS will launch a five-year voluntary ACO...

Overcoming the Barriers to Value-Based Payment in Primary Care

by Victoria Bailey

Primary care is arguably the most critical component of our healthcare system. Primary care and preventive medicine can help avert and manage chronic diseases and prevent long-term complications. However, efforts to improve primary care...

Primary Care Model Did Not Reduce Healthcare Spending or Improve Care

by Victoria Bailey

The CMS Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model was not associated with reduced healthcare expenditures or care quality improvements, a study published in JAMA found. CMS launched the five-year...

Top 10 Accountable Care Organizations by Medicare Shared Savings

by Editorial Staff

The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) saved CMS $1.8 billion in 2022, marking the sixth consecutive year of overall savings for the program. This also represents the second-highest yearly savings since the program started in...

Primary Care Compensation Growth Surpassed Other Specialties in 2022

by Victoria Bailey

Primary care compensation and productivity grew at faster rates than other specialties in 2022, a survey from the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) found. AMGA’s 36th annual Medical...

CMS Primary Care Model Provides Value-Based Path for Practices

by Victoria Bailey

CMS will test a new primary care model in eight states with the hopes of improving patient care and increasing value-based opportunities for primary care organizations. The Making Care Primary (MCP)...

How Primary Care Acquisitions Can Advance Value-Based Care

by Victoria Bailey

As value-based care becomes the end goal for many healthcare organizations, health systems across the country are acquiring primary care practices to achieve this mission. Critical aspects of these acquisitions include ensuring that...

Less than Half of Primary Care Physicians Participate in Value-Based Care

by Victoria Bailey

Value-based care participation is lacking among primary care physicians; most practices reported receiving fee-for-service payments in 2022, according to data from the Commonwealth Fund. Value-based...

NAACOS Offers Guidance for Hybrid Primary Care Payment Model in MSSP

by Victoria Bailey

The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is calling on CMS to establish a hybrid primary care payment model in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) using two possible approaches that will...

Healthcare Orgs Push for Hybrid Primary Care Payment Option in MSSP

by Victoria Bailey

More than 25 healthcare organizations have urged CMS officials to establish a hybrid primary care payment option in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to enhance primary care and boost...

How Walmart Became a Major Player in the Healthcare Industry

by Victoria Bailey

Walmart is no longer just a name in the retail world; the company made its move into the healthcare space in 2019 when it launched Walmart Health. Since then, Walmart Health has expanded its footprint of community health centers and...

Digging into CVS’ Latest Proposed Purchase: Oak Street Health

by Victoria Bailey

The latest debate in the healthcare merger and acquisition space surrounds healthcare giant CVS Health’s plans to acquire Oak Street Health for $10.6 billion. CVS, known for its pharmacy operations and health insurance plans, is...

Who is Leading the Value-Based Care Transition in Primary Care?

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Most primary care physicians (PCPs) are engaging with value-based care, with 69 percent participating in some type of alternative payment model. But a new report from Chartis Group has identified the...

APMs Support Better Primary Care, But Value-Based Care Obstacles Remain

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Primary care practices in Medicare’s Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) and CPC+ models made meaningful care delivery changes compared to non-participating practices, making the case for...

Value-Based Payment Makes Up Just 6.7% of Primary Care Revenue

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The transition to value-based payment is moving at a snail’s pace despite healthcare’s long journey with the transition away from fee-for-service, new survey data indicates. Value-based...

CMS Axes Primary Care First Model’s Seriously Ill Population Component

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS has notified providers via email that it will not move forward with the Seriously Ill Population (SIP) Component of the Primary Care First Model. The Model started in 2021 but the Biden...

Telehealth Reimbursement Needed to Address Demand, Staffing Issues

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Telehealth reimbursement is key to continuing virtual care innovation and addressing healthcare staffing issues at primary care practices, according to a new survey. The survey conducted in mid-August...

How Morgan Health is Paving the Way for Advanced Primary Care

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Advanced primary care tied to a person-level payment model is key to improving outcomes and reducing costs, at least according to the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy and Morgan Health, a new...

Hybrid Primary Care Payment Structure Crucial to Quality Care

by Jill McKeon

High quality, patient-centered care requires a hybrid primary care payment system that encourages value-based care and physician quality assurance, according to an opinion article published recently in...