Multiple healthcare payers in Arkansas join forces to support local clinics in Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) initiative

GENTRY -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has chosen the state of Arkansas as one of 14 regions nationwide to participate in a second round of an initiative to improve the quality and cost of healthcare and ultimately the health of Arkansans. Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), which began January 1, is a five-year initiative that will support 182 primary care practices in the state as they transform into patient-centered medical homes.

Gentry Medical Center is among those participating in CPC+. Doctors in the program are paid differently for completing practice-transformation activities and achieving quality and utilization milestones. The original CPC initiative lasted four years, included 69 clinics and brought more than $50 million to the state.

Support for the initiative is provided by CMS, health insurance companies and state Medicaid agencies. Health insurance companies supporting the program include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Arkansas Health and Wellness/Centene, Arkansas Superior Select, HealthSCOPE and QualChoice.

"The goal of CPC, and now CPC+, is to provide better healthcare for Arkansans," said Alicia Berkemeyer, vice president of Enterprise Primary Care and Pharmacy Program at Arkansas Blue Cross. "We are excited to have three new insurers involved and to increase the number of clinics participating from 69 to 182. The best part, though, is that by basing the success of the initiative on the value of care, not the volume of patients seen, primary care physicians involved get to truly provide the kind of care they went to school to practice."

Patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) are different than most primary care clinics because they involve a team of medical professionals who build a relationship with the patient and help coordinate their care with other medical services outside the clinic and even other resources within the community. These clinics also offer shorter wait times for urgent needs, enhanced hours and alternate ways to communicate, such as email, and use technology to improve the efficiency of the clinic.

To meet the diverse needs of the participating doctors' offices, CPC+ will include two tracks of involvement. CPC+ builds on many lessons learned from the pilot project, including insights on practice readiness, how care is provided to the patient, payment incentives based on doctor performance and technology upgrades. In general, doctors' practices chosen to participate in a more advanced track have already been in the original CPC and will be paid more of their reimbursement for services based on the quality of their care.

"CPC+ is a positive step toward providing Arkansas physicians a stable practice income as healthcare moves in the direction of payment reform through alternative payment models," said Stacy C. Zimmerman, M.D., who also participated in the original CPC and in a pilot patient-centered medical home program sponsored by Arkansas Blue Cross.

General News on 03/08/2017