The American Academy of Family Physicians sees enough potential in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) initiative to encourage its members to apply if they are eligible to do so, according to an article in Medical Economics.
AAFP President Wanda Filer, M.D., says she’s heard mainly positive responses to the initiative. This mirrors reports from other industry groups of cautious optimism about the program, which seeks to shift payment incentives away from volume and toward preventive care via a combination of capitated payments and performance-based bonuses, per previous reporting from FiercePracticeManagement.
As CMS has refined the details of the initiatives, the article notes that benefits related to CPC+ have come into better focus:
- Physicians choose one of two tracks which they must follow for five years, though practices can withdraw from the program entirely at any time without penalty
- Each track offers a mix of financial incentives, with a fixed amount per beneficiary per month (PBPM) which must be paid back to CMS if the practice fails to meet annual performance metrics
- Track 2, which yields higher benefits, also requires practices’ IT vendors to commit in writing to providing advanced technological support, per the article
- Physicians expect the initiative to allow them to spend more time with their patients, according to Filer, which may be a boon for those worried about burnout
- For practices worried about fulfilling the requirements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, CPC+ will qualify them for the alternative payment model track, though only a limited number of practices will be allowed to apply if they already belong to an accountable care organization
- Filer does warn that practices interested in the initiative will need “an appetite for change and some strong internal leadership”
CPC+ will initially roll out in 14 regions, and eligible practices have until September 15 to apply.
- read the article