Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Request for Applications (RFA) for Cohort 2 of the Primary Care First (PCF) Model. Primary care practices in eligible regions are encouraged to apply. Practices that participate in PCF will have flexibility in terms of care delivery and the opportunity to increase practice revenue through performance-based model payments. The deadline for practice applications is April 30, 2021; the deadline for payer applications is May 28, 2021.
The PCF Model tests whether the way Medicare pays for advanced primary care—shifting from a fee-for-service to a value-based payment approach—can positively affect quality of care and reduce total Medicare expenditures. By tying performance based payment adjustments to health outcomes, the PCF Model seeks to improve advanced primary care for participating practices and patients alike.
What this means for model participants:
Further, participating practices that focus on patients with complex chronic needs receive higher model payments for the care of these patient populations.
PCF Cohort 2 will have five performance years and is scheduled to begin in January 2022. You can access the RFA, practice application, and more information on the PCF Model, on the CMS Primary Care First website.
Primary Care First offers an innovative payment structure that aims to promote access to advanced primary care and reward high-quality, patient-focused care. CMS will be hosting three webinars about Primary Care First, each focused on a different topic, with time for questions! Register for these webinars today!
Wednesday, March 24 at 2:00PM ET
The Primary Care First Model team will provide an overview of the Primary Care First Model, including the model goals, eligibility to participate in the second Cohort, payment design, and data sharing. CMS will then answer your questions about these topics live.
Register to attend here: https://deloitte.zoom.us/
Tuesday, March 30 at 2:00PM ET
The Primary Care First Model team will provide an overview of the Primary Care First payer partnership. You will be able to learn more about the current Primary Care First model participants, benefits to payer partnership, the framework for optimal payer alignment, and the payer solicitation process and timeline. CMS will then answer your questions live!
Register to attend here: https://deloitte.zoom.
Wednesday, March 31 at 3:00PM ET
The Primary Care First Model team will provide information to assist you in successfully completing the Primary Care First application, including a brief overview of the application portal and application questions, determining model readiness, and application best practices featuring insights from Cohort 1 practices. CMS will then answer your practice’s questions live!
Register to attend here: https://deloitte.zoom.us/
Please forward this email to colleagues who may be interested in these materials and upcoming events.
If you have questions or feedback, please email PrimaryCareApply@telligen.com.
For additional information about Primary Care First, please visit the model website at https://innovation.cms.gov/
