Medicare exploring new primary care bonus as old program expires

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is working to continue some form of payment bonus to primary care physicians (PCPs) in light of the expiration in 2015 of the existing 10% payment boost included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

MedPAC will draft a recommendation and vote on it later this month. When completed, the recommendation will be sent to Congress. It is expected to call for a continuation of the primary care payment boost through the use of per-beneficiary payments to PCPs, combined with a reduction in payments for non-primary care service payments to specialists.

Non-primary services make up 75% of the services included in the fee schedule, and the MedPAC proposal calls for a 1.4% decrease in those payments, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Commissioners at the December MedPAC meeting debated whether the proposal would do enough to attract new physicians to primary care, and it was suggested that the proposal serve as a building block for further payment modifications.