Last week, CMS announced the Primary Cares Initiative, which consists of five new voluntary payment models under two paths: 1) Primary Care First (PCF), intended for smaller primary care practices; and 2) Direct Contracting (DC), intended for larger entities, such as Medicare accountable care organizations, Medicaid managed care organizations, and Medicare Advantage plans.
The models are intended to increase opportunities for primary care providers and other organizations to participate in alternative payment models and to take on risk. CMS estimates that the models could include 25% of the Medicare beneficiary population and hopes to eventually expand them to Medicaid and private insurers. Specific details will likely be released through a Request for Applications later this spring. These models are anticipated to start in January 2020.
CMS Administrator Seema Verma said last Thursday that future payment models would have to be mandatory to ensure participation and to get broadly representative data from participants.
More information on the Primary Care First initiative, including webinars, is
here. Information on the Direct Contracting model is
here.