Medicare and Medicaid
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new initiative on Sept. 28 to help primary care practices deliver higher quality, more coordinated and patient-centered care. Under the new program, Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans to offer additional support to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients. This collaboration, known as the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, is modeled after innovative practices developed by large employers and leading private health insurers in the private sector.
The voluntary initiative will begin as a demonstration project available in five to seven healthcare markets across the country. Public and private healthcare payers interested in applying to participate in the initiative must submit a letter of intent to CMS by Nov. 15, 2011.
In addition to the usual Medicare fees that these practices would receive for delivering Medicare-covered services, CMS will pay participating primary care practices a monthly fee for supporting activities such as:
• Helping patients with serious or chronic diseases follow personalized care plans;
• Giving patients 24-hour access to care and health information;
• Delivering preventive care;
• Engaging patients and their families in their own care; and
• Working together with other doctors, including specialists, to provide better coordinated care.
