The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 created the Primary Care
Incentive Payment Program. For the years 2011 through 2015, if certain
evaluation and management services represent 60% or more of Medicare allowable
charges, then the provider qualifies for a 10% bonus calculated on the primary
care portion of allowable charges. Based on analysis of 2009 Medicare claims
data, more than 70% of rural primary care physicians (PCP) and non-physician
practitioners (NPP) qualify for payments. The average incentive payment for
qualifying rural PCPs would result in an additional $8,000 in Medicare patient
revenue per year. For qualifying NPPs, the result is an additional $3,000 in
Medicare patient revenue per year. Click
here to read the full report by Shane, MacKinney, Ullrich, Mueller, and
Weigel.
