Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012
This Week's News
Physician committee brings wealth of experience to delivery and payment innovation
AMA calls for revisions to Medicare's proposed fee schedule for 2013
New primary care initiative to advance transformation of care delivery
Fact sheets examine key trends from medical education to physician pay
This Week's News
New primary care initiative to advance transformation of care delivery
In a historic partnership, public and private payers are coming together in a new initiative to strengthen the delivery of primary care to hundreds of thousands of patients across the country.
The Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, backed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), state Medicaid agencies, commercial health plans and self-insured businesses across seven regions, aims to cultivate greater access to high-quality health care at lower cost. More than 2,000 participating primary care physicians will receive a monthly care management fee from CMS and higher payments from other payers to support enhanced, coordinated services.
"Primary care practices play a vital role in our health care system, and we are looking at ways to better support them in their efforts to coordinate care for their patients," Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a news release.
CMS estimates that more than 300,000 Medicare patients, in addition to patients covered by other participating payers, will benefit from the initiative. Primary care physicians who were selected to participate are expected to provide such enhanced services as flexible hours, care coordination, engagement of patients and caregivers in managing their care, and individualized care for patients with multiple chronic diseases or other demanding health care needs.
The seven regions selected to participate initially in this initiative are Arkansas, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, the Capital District-Hudson Valley region of New York, the Cincinnati-Dayton region of Ohio and Kentucky, and the Greater Tulsa region of Oklahoma. Read more about the initiative in American Medical News.
The AMA has urged CMS to pursue innovative multipayer approaches to health care and is committed to shaping new payment and delivery models in a way that promotes physician satisfaction and practice sustainability. Read more about a new AMA initiative that examines innovations in payment and delivery elsewhere in AMA Wire.
