Every other week, the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) gathers major new stories, opinion pieces, research articles, case studies and more covering primary care.
Want to submit a piece? Feel free to email the piece to PCC Communications Associate Maximilian Sandefer at msandefer@thepcc.org.
First, from the PCC:
Primary Care Champion: Dr. Brenda Reiss-Brennan
From: The PCC
Last month, the PCC named Dr. Brenda Reiss-Brennan, Mental Health Integration Implementation Science Senior Advisor at Intermountain Health and PCC Whole-Person Care Workgroup Member, as our latest primary care champion. Check out a summary of our wide-ranging discussion with the champion, including her career-long efforts to bolster whole-person primary care and integrated mental health.
Strengthening Primary Care Participation in ACOs
From: The PCC
In late February, the PCC hosted a webinar with health leaders (including some from CMS) examining how policymakers can strengthen primary care participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs) to improve outcomes and contain costs in Medicare. Read our short summary of the discussion.
BLOG: Medicare Invests in the Front Door of the Health Care System
From: Namrata Uberoi for West Health and Ann Greiner for the PCC
In the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, CMS began reversing decades of undervaluing primary care, providing more resources for primary care teams to prevent and manage chronic conditions. But to truly reinforce the foundation of the American health system, policymakers need to protect and expand upon these gains, eventually doubling primary care investment through value-based approaches. PCC President and CEO Ann Greiner and West Health Executive Director of Health Care Cost and Affordability Dr. Namrata Uberoi discuss more in a new blog.
And some great sources outside the PCC:
Judge Strikes Down Kennedy’s Vaccine Policies
From: Apoorva Mandavilli for the New York Times
A federal judge in Massachusetts has recently blocked the Trump administration from implementing a series of vaccine policies made by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Learn more about this decision and what this means for primary care clinicians and their patients in a new article from Apoorva Mandavilli for the New York Times.
Medicaid work requirements leave states scrambling for 2027
From: Michael McAuliff for Modern Healthcare
After President Trump and the GOP led-Congress’s near $1 trillion Medicaid cuts due to H.R. 1 last year, Michael McAuliff reports for Modern Healthcare that many states are trying to find ways to implement the work requirements and other complex policies in the bill by its January 1, 2027 effective date.
Supporting Small And Rural Providers Through State Investments In Primary Care
From: Katie Coleman, Jennifer N. Sayles, Jeff Norris and S. Monica Soni for Health Affairs
A new research article in Health Affairs explains how state-level investments, particularly through programs like California’s Equity and Practice Transformation initiative, can help strengthen small and rural primary care practices by improving infrastructure, workforce support and care delivery models. Learn more about a potential roadmap for broader efforts like the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
The report touches on two major focuses for PCC, which recently helped distribute a primary care investment guide and released a report in 2025 on the state of rural care.
Primary Care Is in Trouble. So Doctors Band Together To Boost Their Market Power
From: Karen Brown for KFF Health News (and New England Public Media)
A New KFF piece from Karen Brown identifies how struggling independent primary care practices are joining together in groups like Independent Physician Associations (IPAs) to gain leverage with insurers and improve their financial stability. Brown’s story indicates the response to low reimbursement rates, workforce shortages and growing consolidation in health care could allow doctors to maintain independence while increasing bargaining power and control over patient care.
In Talking to Parents About Vaccines, Pediatricians Navigate a Sea of Misinformation
From: Apoorva Mandavilli for the New York Times
Pediatricians across the country are struggling to counsel parents about vaccines amid a surge of misinformation. A New York Times article from Apoorva Mandavilli explores how clinicians are adapting to protect children’s health amid this confusion and skepticism.
HIMSS26: Embedding clinical intelligence for a successful Medicare Shared Savings Program
From: Susan Morse for Healthcare Finance
A recent HIMSS26 session with PCC member Innovaccer’s Dr. Brian Silverstein and PCC Richard Baron fellow Dr. Drew Albano delves into how health systems are improving performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) by embedding AI-driven clinical intelligence directly into care workflows, rather than relying on retrospective data analysis. Read from Susan Morse of Healthcare Finance more highlights of the session.
A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care
From: Reed Abelson for the New York Times
A new piece from the New York Times’ Reed Abelson breaks down a poll from Gallup and WestHealth that found rising health care costs are forcing many Americans to make significant financial sacrifices, with roughly one-third (82 million) people cutting back on everyday spending like food and transportation to afford care. Many are also going into debt, borrowing money or skipping basic needs as widespread affordability challenges challenge even insured and middle-income households.
Reimagining Beneficiary Engagement in Accountable Care Models
From: The Health Care Transformation Task Force (HCTTF) and NAACOS
HCTTF and NAACOS have developed recommendations for CMS to strengthen beneficiary engagement opportunities for ACOs.
OPINION: RI’s primary care training program faces funding cuts
From: Jeffrey Borkan for the Providence Journal
As Rhode Island experiences a primary care crisis with a significant shortage of clinicians, the state’s Primary Care Training Sites Program created to increase in-state clinical training opportunities faces a shaky future. In the Providence Journal, Jeffrey Borkan argues that continuing the program is key to strengthening the state’s health care workforce.
OPINION: Primary care access in Portland is worse than you think
From: Jane M. Zhu for the Lund Report
A new opinion piece from Jane M. Zhu for the Lund Report explores Portland, Oregon’s primary care access issues, including long wait times, clinician shortages and administrative barriers. Facing underinvestment and workforce challenges, read her proposed policy changes to strengthen access and bolster primary care.