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The release on July 10 of the proposed Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prompted discussions among healthcare industry professionals. On July 16, the Washington, D.C.-based Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) hosted an online discussion with CMS leaders about how Medicare Part B payment policy could improve health through strengthening primary care.
After being introduced by PCC President and CEO Ann Greiner, Meena Seshamani, M.D., deputy administrator with CMS and director of the Center for Medicare, remarked that comprehensive primary care models have reduced emergency and hospital visits. This was concluded by tests conducted over the last decade by the CMS Innovation Center.
Seshamani went on to explain that CMS is proposing to use these lessons learned in creating the new Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) under the Physician Fee Schedule. “This proposed payment,” Seshamani explained, “uses coding describing certain primary care services that would be provided by Advanced Primary Care teams with adjustments for patients’ medical and social complexity to promote health equity.” Additionally, she added, “These services would also be tied to primary care quality measures to improve health outcomes for people with Medicare.”