Primary care practices to share in $24 million savings from CMS initiative

Practices that generated savings in a new Comprehensive Primary Care initiative will benefit from the $24 million in shared savings from the program, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, in its first year in 2014, resulted in hospital readmissions lower than national benchmarks, according to CMS's Dr. Patrick Conway in a Wednesday blog post.

Also, patients rated highly experience measures such as provider communication and timely access to care, said Conway, chief medical officer and deputy administrator for Innovation and Quality at CMS.

During this first shared savings performance year, the initiative decreased Medicare Part A and Part B spending compared to spending targets, while achieving high quality outcomes, Conway said.

[Also: CMS' Comprehensive Primary Care initiative announces participating payers]

It generated a total of $24 million in gross savings overall, excluding management fees.

These results reflect the work of 483 primary care practices in seven regions nationwide: Arkansas, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, the capital district and Hudson Valley in New York, the Cincinnati-Dayton region in Ohio and Kentucky, and Greater Tulsa in Oklahoma.

Four regions  - Arkansas, Colorado, Cincinnati-Dayton region and Oregon - generated gross savings.

The Greater Tulsa region generated net savings of $10.8 million, earning more than $500,000 in shared savings payments, Conway said.

All regions had lower-than-targeted hospital readmission rates, indicating better coordination of care during transitions and the post-discharge period; and over 90 percent of practices successfully met quality targets on patient experience and utilization measures.

The Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, launched in 2012, is a multi-payer partnership between Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payers, and primary care practices.

Participating practices identify patients who are sick or at risk and provide targeted care management to improve outcomes and prevent potential adverse events, Conway said.

Patients at CPC practices have 24/7 access to a provider, often through non face-to-face contact.

Primary care practices act as the quarterback of the healthcare team, Conway said, ensuring patients with complex social and medical needs do not fall through the cracks.

"We are encouraged by the results so far and look forward to seeing the results of our independent evaluation of these practices," Conway said.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse