| The Honorable Seema Verma Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services US Department of Health & Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 | The Honorable Brad Smith Deputy Administrator and Director Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation US Department of Health & Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, |
Dear Administrator Verma and Director Smith:
The undersigned organizations write to urge the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to accelerate CPC+ payments forward to participating health care providers. Primary care physicians and providers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic are providing care to the growing population of individuals infected, while also maintaining access to care for those patients who are not infected but require ongoing care for their health conditions in the community. Today, these providers are facing severe and growing financial difficulties.
Physicians and other clinicians are facing similar financial stresses as cancellation rates have more than doubled. Many physicians and other clinicians have moved a large portion of their practice to virtual platforms. The increased flexibility in telehealth provided by CMS and commercial payers has been foundational in providing the means to extend care to vulnerable populations in a manner that protects them from unwarranted exposure; however there is an implementation lag. As physicians and other clinicians face growing financial difficulties, they will be forced to make operational decisions in the next two to six weeks that could jeopardize access to care for their patients and the communities they serve, and the future of CPC+ as a whole.
CPC+ was an important step to move physicians and practices away from the limitations of fee for service. However, our experience to date with CPC+ practices navigating the COVID-19 pandemic is that they are still experiencing financial difficulties that endanger not only their ability to provide the enhanced services of CPC+, but even the basic services of the practice. As this is largely a crisis-related cash flow issue, we believe CMS can strengthen the CPC+ program and its participating practices by advancing next quarter’s care management fees (CMF) now.
Waiving notice and comment rulemaking when doing so will provide immediate relief to hospitals and physicians.
We would appreciate discussing with you how to implement this recommendation across provider types. Please reach out to Travis Broome at Aledade, [email protected] for coordination. Thank you for your consideration and support of primary care during this national crisis.
Sincerely,
| Aglion Health | Joel Christopher Cobb, MD, Arkansas |
| Aledade | Lofton Family Clinic, Arkansas |
| American Academy of Family Physicians | Michael Munger, MD, Kansas |
| American College of Physicians | National Association of Accountable Care Organizations |
| America’s Physician Groups | New Deighton Family Practice, Michigan |
| Arkansas Primary Care Clinics, Arkansas | New Liberty Hospital Corporation, Missouri |
| Ascension Providence South Lyon Family Medicine, Michigan | North Hills Family Clinic PA, Arkansas |
| Buffalo Medical Group, New York | Partnership to Empower Physician-Led Care |
| Central Ohio Primary Care | Physicians Group of Southeastern Ohio |
| Christopher Cooper, MD, Missouri | PriMED Physicians |
| Elation Health | Randy D. Walker, MD, Arkansas |
| Health Care Transformation Taskforce | Saline Med-Peds Group, Inc |
| Higginbotham Family Clinic, Arkansas | SAMA Healthcare, Arkansas |
| Internal Medicine Diagnostics, Inc., Arkansas | Stanley Burns, MD, Arkansas |
| James Marroquin, MD, Texas | Winston Clinic, Arkansas |
| Jock Cobb, MD, Arkansas |