Local primary care practices, including Lifespan Physician Group and Coastal Medical, participating in initiative to improve care

PROVIDENCE – Lifespan Physician Group Inc. and Coastal Medical are among approximately 2,900 primary care practices nationwide participating in Comprehensive Primary Care Plus, a public-private partnership through the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services designed to provide better access to quality health care at lower costs.

CPC+ is a partnership between payer partners from the CMS, state Medicaid agencies, commercial health plans, self-insured businesses and primary care providers.

Administered through the CMS Innovation Center, CPC+ means that physicians may offer longer and more flexible hours, use electronic health records, coordinate care with patients’ other health care providers, better engage patients and caregivers in managing their own care, and provide individualized, enhanced care for patients living with multiple chronic diseases and higher needs.

“Our primary care practices are excited to participate in the CPC+,” Dr. Steven Lampert, Lifespan Physician Group president, said in a statement. “This program will provide resources, both financial and educational, that will increase the value of the care we provide our patients. We will be able to provide more coordinated care for our patients while we transform the way primary care is practiced at Lifespan Physician Group.”

- Advertisement -

Lifespan Physician Group’s Metacom Medical in Warren, Women’s Medicine Collaborative in Providence, Family Physicians of Newport and Jamestown Family Practice are among the approximately 30 Rhode Island primary care practices participating in CPC+, as well as Coastal Medical offices in Cranston, East Greenwich, East Providence, Lincoln, Middletown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Pawtucket, Providence and Smithfield. Coastal’s Pulmonary and Internal Medicine Specialists in East Providence also is participating.

Other participants:

  • University Medicine – North Main Street Primary Care, Providence
  • University Internal Medicine Inc., Pawtucket
  • University Medicine – General Internal Medicine, East Providence
  • University Medicine – Geriatrics, East Providence
  • Anchor Medical Associates in Lincoln, Providence and Warwick
  • Medical Associates of R.I. Inc., Bristol
  • Ocean State Primary Care Center of Westerly
  • Brookside Medical Associates in Cumberland
  • Women’s Internal Medicine in East Greenwich
  • Dr. Richard J. Ruggieri, Providence
  • Dr. Robert Carrellas, Middletown
  • Dr. David M. Steigman, Providence

Through CPC+, CMS will pay primary care practices a care management fee, initially set at an average of $15 per beneficiary per month in Track 1 and $28 per beneficiary per month in Track 2, to support enhanced, coordinated services on behalf of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. At the same time, participating commercial, state and other federal insurance plans will offer enhanced payment to primary care practices supporting them in providing high-quality primary care on behalf of their members.

Public and private health plans in 14 regions across the country, including Rhode Island, signed letters of intent with CMS to participate in this five-year model, which went into effect on Jan. 1.

Participating markets were selected in August based on the percentage of the total population covered by payer partners who expressed interest in joining this partnership.

Eligible primary care practices in each market then were invited to apply to participate in winter 2016.

Practices were chosen based on use of health information technology; ability to demonstrate recognition of advanced primary care delivery by leading clinical societies; service to patients covered by participating payer partners; participation in practice transformation and improvement activities; and diversity of geography, practice size and ownership structure.

No posts to display