Making Care Primary: Medicare’s Latest Attempt at Value-Based Primary Care

Abstract

On June 8th, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced the Making Care Primary (MCP) model, its latest attempt to transform primary care delivery for a value-based care payment system. The MCP is a decade-long multi-payer partnership with a voluntary risk-adjusted payment model for primary care organizations. It provides financial support for organizations to develop and implement a value-based care infrastructure and prospective payments per beneficiary for the delivery of primary care. The MCP consists of 3 tracks, ranging from lump sum infrastructure payments to a fully prospective payment model with one-sided risk. In turn, physicians need to meet a set criteria such as quality outcomes, health-related social needs (HRSN) screening and referral, and high-touch chronic care management.1 While MCP is a well-planned effort, it is likely to suffer from some of the same pitfalls as prior CMS attempts to revolutionize primary care and may therefore exert unintended effects on market consolidation.