WASHINGTON—On behalf of our members and health centers nationwide, Advocates for Community Health (ACH) applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) for their leadership in developing and launching the new Making Care Primary (MCP) Model. The MCP model leverages community-based connections to address patients’ health needs and their health-related social needs, which can improve patient outcomes. It is ACH’s mission to advocate for innovative policies that advance the delivery of health care to underserved populations. We are thrilled that this model has the potential to result in significant cost savings for all community health centers across the network—not just ACH members—allowing them to fulfill their mission as hyper-local health care hubs.
As the nation’s largest primary care network, community health centers play a crucial part in providing high-quality primary care to underserved populations. ACH has always been committed to leading the way to a more equitable, holistic approach to care for the underserved through value-based care. We are encouraged to see this new MCP model come to fruition, especially as it is the result of more than a year of conversations between the CMS Innovation Center, ACH, and health equity stakeholders across the country. We are proud to see many of the recommendations from ACH’s Value-Based Care Working Group included in the model, particularly a focus on addressing health-related social needs and integrating behavioral health into primary care.
We look forward to continuing to engage with CMS as this initiative to strengthen primary care and improve patient outcomes is rolled out in pilot states, and on a national level.
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About Advocates for Community Health
Advocates for Community Health is a membership organization for federally qualified health centers that strives to advance the delivery of health care to underserved populations and to achieve health equity for patients and communities in need. We are committed to working collaboratively to advance well-defined and forward-thinking policies at the national level. By leveraging the wisdom, agility, and innovation of our members, ACH brings bold leadership to drive change in the American healthcare system. To learn more about membership and partnership opportunities, visit www.advocatesforcommunityhealth.org or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.