Primary Care Goals

Collaborative Legislative and Programmatic Goals
 
1) Support payment, coverage and other policies that promote primary care and improve the patient-centered medical home as a means to transform delivery of care.  

2) Support piloting of medical homes, ideally through multi-payer piloting, including through federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, to include broad patient participation and full transformation of practices. 

3) Develop technical assistance programs to support primary care and patient-centered medical home practice transformation, such as primary care extension programs.

4) Support primary care workforce training and professional development by:
    (a) increased funding for National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs;
    (b) expanding and focusing federal support in programs under Title VII and Title VIII  of the Public Health Service Act to  
         better prepare primary care health professionals to provide patient-centered care;
    (c) additional pathways for scholarships and loan forgiveness programs to create incentives for careers in primary care; and,
    (d) reforms to Medicare GME to further promote primary care training.

5) Support increases in Medicare and Medicaid payments for primary care services including services necessary for comprehensive care coordination such as patient-centered disease management, patient education, and comprehensive medication management.

 

Relevant Resources:

"Closing the Gap: Employee Perspectives on Health 2008-2009" (Watson Wyatt Worldwide)

PowerPoint: "Financing Primary Care-The Best of Times" (Roger Merrill, 10/17/08)