Advanced Primary Care Management services—launched by Medicare in 2024—show enormous promise in supporting primary care to deliver whole-person primary care. By creating a single, bundled payment that eliminates the need for time-tracking, the new program aims to make it easier for primary care to focus on helping patients manage their care more effectively.

While the program has enormous potential, some primary care practices have experienced challenges implementing the program—especially mandatory cost-sharing. In a new fact sheet, the Primary Care Collaborative and West Health provide insights into how policymakers can help remove one of the biggest hurdles to widespread adoption of APCM.

On behalf of the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) and the PCC’s Better Health NOW campaign (BHN), we are pleased to support H.R. 9693, the Patients First Act of 2026. This legislation would strengthen patient access while offering much needed stability and flexibility with respect to primary care payment and clinician payment more broadly.

Read our full letter of support below.

The concept of using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline the prior authorization process sounds like a great idea.

What will that look like in an actual medical practice? And how will patients respond?

[…]

The US doctor shortage is no longer a distant concern, it is a trend backed by hard numbers. According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the country could face a shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. That is not a small number. It touches primary care, surgery, and specialty medicine all at once, and it comes at a time when the population is getting older and needing more care, not less.

[…]

On July 14, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule. The rule advances multiple policies that would help improve the nation’s health by strengthening primary care in Medicare. It also provides the primary care community an opportunity to weigh in on future policies through a request for information.

In a new Issue Brief, the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) identifies five key areas for comment, followed by a more detailed breakdown of CMS proposals, issues raised by the RFI and what’s needed next from Medicare policymakers. It is intended to inform PCC members and the broader primary care community as they craft their responses to the draft rule.

The Pathways to Health Careers Act would provide job training and support services as 32 of New Mexico’s 33 counties face shortages in primary, behavioral or dental care

[…]

Millions of Americans aren’t able to get and afford the care they need, find appropriate medical providers in their area, or get help managing their conditions. The U.S.’s high health care costs, lack of universal coverage, severe health inequities, and poor long-term health outcomes impede many Americans’ ability to get and stay healthy over their lifetimes. In a new survey, the Commonwealth Fund asked people to identify what they think are the most important problems in the health care system and who should be best able to solve them.

[…]

Washington, D.C. (August 12, 2026) – Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) President and CEO Ann Greiner has issued the following statement in response to an executive order issued on August 10, 2026, instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to further adjust the vaccine schedule:

“Vaccines are a critical tool in preventive care and essential for delivering high quality, whole-person primary care. The United States vaccine schedule was developed on the basis of A-plus science and with input from leading experts.

“We urge the Administration to continue following previous recommendations to ensure the best possible care for American families.”

While public health systems have plenty of room to become more trustworthy, I am increasingly convinced that much mistrust stems also from health systems. In a recent YLE survey, for example, more than 1 in 2 participants had difficulty finding a primary care provider.

[…]

Addressing the physician and nurse shortages will require both upstream interventions that build a shared health career pipeline and downstream investments that expand the distinct training capacities each profession requires.

[…]