The Primary Care Payment Reform Collaborative (the Collaborative) is pleased to present this sixth annual recommendations report. Since its creation in 2019, the Collaborative has focused on strengthening primary care through increased investment and advancing the adoption of value-based payment models to support and promote the delivery of high-quality, whole-person and whole-family care that improves health outcomes for all Coloradans. This year, the Collaborative has chosen to focus on three topics: marketplace dynamics that affect primary care practices, new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), and health equity. Health equity is a long-standing priority for the Collaborative, and marketplace dynamics and AI are two timely and influential topics affecting primary care.
Over the past six years, the Collaborative’s recommendations to strengthen primary care have focused on strategies related to care delivery, including integrated care delivery, and payment mechanisms. During that time, however, Colorado and the nation have seen some significant shifts in the primary care landscape. In this report, the Collaborative has chosen to examine overarching trends — marketplace dynamics and AI — that have and will continue to shape primary care and, therefore, the Collaborative’s work. Marketplace dynamics, including increasing consolidation and private equity investment, are having large impacts on payers, providers, and ultimately patients, prompting concerns about increased prices, the sustainability of independent practices, and the real and potential negative impacts on patient care. AI tools hold great promise for health and health care. However, these tools also raise concerns regarding their development and deployment. In this report, the Collaborative identifies and discusses concerns and opportunities for both areas. This report also revisits and expands on recommendations related to health equity, a core principle that continues to guide the Collaborative’s work. This year, the Collaborative focuses on tracking the progress of value-based payments to address health disparities.
