The case for primary care is strong

The case for #primarycare is strong and growing stronger. If you missed our webinar last week, we showcased findings from Wakely Consulting Group that #ACOs generating higher savings are associated with ACOs with the highest share of PCPs.

These findings were also highlighted in important testimony from Aledade, Inc. this week showing higher savings from their ACOs comprised of independent PCPs. Sean Cavanaugh 's written testimony noted that physician-led ACOs outperform hospital-led ACOs, producing 30% more in annual, average Medicare savings per beneficiary than hospital-led ACOs. Aledade physician-led ACOs save even more.

It's time for Medicare to invest more in primary care to get better health and better value for individuals, families, and communities. We've learned from over ten years of experience with Medicare ACOs in MSSP that

• ACO performance tends to improve with time and experience in the program
• ACO performance tends to be better when the ACO has characteristics associated with being physician-led
• ACOs comprised of more primary care physicians delivering more primary care services are over-represented in the highest performing ACOs

That's why PCC has joined with National Association of ACOs to call on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to offer a primary care hybrid payment option in MSSP to give primary care teams more resources upfront to build patient-centered, data-powered primary care teams to give more attention to patients who need it and give all patients more touchpoints with their care teams. It's a win-win for beneficiaries, Medicare, primary care teams, and ACOs.