45 payors sign on to CMS primary care initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center has announced agreements with 45 commercial, federal and state insurers in seven markets across the U.S. to participate in the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, a multi-payor model.

Under the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, CMS will pay primary care practices a care management fee to support enhanced, coordinated services. Simultaneously, participating commercial, state and other payors are offering an enhanced payment to primary care practices that provide high-quality primary care. Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans and offer bonus payments to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients. Primary care practices that choose to participate in this initiative will be given resources to better coordinate primary care for their Medicare patients.

Insurers in Arkansas, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, New York’s Capital District-Hudson Valley Region, Ohio and Kentucky’s Cincinnati-Dayton Region, as well as greater Tulsa, Okla., signed agreements with CMS to participate in this initiative.

Approximately 75 primary care practices will be selected to participate in the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative in each designated market. The first step in applying for the program is completion of the application pre-screen tool which will be accepted until July 20.

The Comprehensive Primary Care initiative is a four-year initiative administered by the Innovation Center.