The National Partnership for Women & Families and the American College of Physicians (ACP) joined today to praise the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its announcement yesterday of major progress on the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative.

“High-quality primary care is fundamental to patients’ health and well-being. This remarkable collaboration by Medicare, private insurers, employers and clinicians holds promise for the comprehensive, patient-centered primary care that patients and families want and need,” said Debra L. Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families and leader of the Campaign for Better Care. “Too often today, patients — especially those who are older and living with chronic conditions — are left to their own devices to identify and coordinate their own care. Primary care doctors have the skills patients need to get the right care at the right time. But too often our outdated payment systems underpay and ignore the very skills patients value. By increasing payments to primary care providers in Medicare and private insurance, the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative moves us toward the kind of value-based care system that will help improve quality and costs.”

“The Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation deserve tremendous credit for advancing this vital initiative, which begins a critical stage with today’s announcement,” said Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Physicians. “Similarly, the 45 private payers who have committed to join this partnership are showing true leadership. We are extraordinarily pleased with the Innovation Center’s focus on patient-centered care and practice redesign. To be done right, these kinds of changes must involve patients and their families and/or advocates from the inception. When these groups work together with physicians, insurers, and public payers, it is possible to improve outcomes of care and quality of life while tackling the spiraling cost of care.”