CMS reports 'promising' shared savings results for primary care initiative

The Comprehensive Primary Care initiative generated $24 million in gross savings in 2014, the first shared savings performance year of the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today. The initiative was launched in October 2012 to advance primary care by paying clinicians to deliver accessible, comprehensive and coordinated care. “In 2014, CPC practices showed positive quality results, with hospital readmissions lower than national benchmarks and high performance on patient experience measures, particularly on provider communication with patients and timely access to care,” Patrick Conway, CMS deputy administrator for innovation and quality and chief medical officer, wrote in a CMS Blog post. “CPC practices that demonstrated high quality care and reduced spending above a threshold shared in savings generated for Medicare. 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.”