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When CMS first announced new primary care payment models in April 2019, ACOs understood that their future might be threatened by competition for both physicians and patients. If medical groups could independently contract with Medicare under these models, they would have the advantage of greater control over their physician network, referral arrangements, and clinical decisions.
The Value-Based primary care models of Direct Contracting (DC) and Primary Care First (PCF) were presented as a strategy to fortify primary care and independent practitioners. By combining prospective payment, quality monitoring, and incentive pools for lowering admissions and total costs, providers could potentially reap the benefits of risk without the go-between health plan or an ACO. But these models also served a key goal for CMS to move providers away from Fee-for-Service reimbursements.
Now CMS is walking back some of the previous administration’s decisions and reviewing these payment models—as we predicted. While this is a “normal” reset to evaluate prior programs within a larger programmatic context, there’s good reason to expect that the Geographic DC Model will not see the light of day. It’s unlikely that the PCF model for highest risk individuals will come to fruition, either. What that means for the ACO MSSP (Medical Shared Savings Program) model—given a recent delay in the applications schedule—is sparking new speculation. Here’s what’s at stake:
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