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?

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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.

When was the last time you went to the doctor?

Not necessarily for something big, not for a broken finger or the flu. Just a checkup. A regular annual visit to make sure everything is ok with your health.

For about a third of Americans, it’s probably been too long. In 2024, more than 100 million people did not have a regular primary doctor at all, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers.

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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.

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Legislation would gradually boost primary care spending over time

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After decades of advocacy, Atkinson sees a glimmer of hope in the form of a sprawling bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives. The legislation would significantly boost investment in primary care, though it’s unclear if the funding will hold as House and Senate negotiators must now reconcile the two chambers’ packages.

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With more physician Medicare pay cuts proposed for 2027, a new comprehensive, bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would finally make structural changes that are needed to prevent those cuts and create a payment system that helps ensure that America’s seniors have access to quality, value-based healthcare.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10 that reorganizes federal childhood vaccine recommendations, asks for the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot to be split into three single-disease injections and directs the attorney general to challenge state laws on religious and medical exemptions.

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