HHS Launches New Initiative to Strengthen Primary Care

Under the new initiative, Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans to offer additional support to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched yesterday a new initiative made possible by the Affordable Care Act to help primary care practices deliver higher quality, more coordinated and patient-centered care.

Under the new initiative, Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans to offer additional support to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients. This collaboration, known as the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, is modeled after innovative practices developed by large employers and leading private health insurers in the private sector.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we are helping primary care doctors better coordinate care with patients so they get better care and we use our hea