CMS launches Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week announced the launch of the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model.

The multi-payer initiative is intended to give doctors more freedom in patient care while paying them for improving patient care.

“Strengthening primary care is critical to an effective health care system,” CMS deputy administrator and chief medical officer Dr. Patrick Conway said. “By supporting primary care doctors and clinicians to spend time with patients, serve patients’ needs outside of the office visit, and better coordinate care with specialists we can continue to build a health care system that results in healthier people and smarter spending of our health care dollars. The Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model represents the future of health care that we’re striving towards.”

CPC+ is based upon the foundation and findings of the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, which was launched in 2012 and runs through 2016. CPC+ begins in January 2017. It provides two tracks for providers to improve care delivery. Both tracks focus on five primary care functions that will support patients with serious or chronic diseases, provide preventative care and improve coordinated care. Track two provides additional support for patients with more complex conditions, including medical and behavioral health services.

The two track system provides monthly care management fees plus the Medicare fee-for-service payments for Track 1 practices. Track 2 also provides the monthly fee plus a combination of fee-for-service and primary care payments. This system moves medical practices away from the previous fee-for-service system used by Medicare.