MedPage Today: Group Unveils National Primary Care Strategy

WASHINGTON — Payment models involving primary care should build on proven methods, be innovative and prevent patients from losing access, the National Coalition on Health Care said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

The NCHC’s national strategy specifically includes continuing to improve chronic care management code in Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule, integrating primary care and behavioral health training and payment, and making “Comprehensive Primary Care Plus and Independence at Home models available to practices nationally.”

In addition, it calls for implementing MACRA’s (the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act) MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System) and Alternative Payment model.

Regarding innovation, the NCHC recommended ensuring CMS is able to continue testing new alternative payment models, and to refine and expand any such models that reduce costs and/or improve outcomes.

Addressing access, the NCHC recommended ensuring affordable private coverage, maintaining federal support for state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance programs, and continuing to minimize the number of Americans without coverage.

An NCHC fact sheet also espoused the value of primary care: “To build an American health care (sic) system that delivers better care at a lower cost, primary care must become a national health policy priority.”

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