Experts Discuss Pros, Cons of Risk-Based Payment in Primary Care

February 18

As transactions and outside investment in primary care become more common, many health care insiders see an opportunity to shift primary care reimbursement toward risk-based payment — but experts warn that value-based contracting can’t solve all of primary care’s problems on its own.

Primary care practices (PCPs) operating on a fee-for-service basis faced a crisis in 2020, when the pandemic discouraged patients from making routine visits to the doctor’s office. Many PCPs turned to outside financing to fund capital investments or make payroll. Others combined horizontally with other PCPs or sold to health systems.

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Health Plan Weekly

Peter Johnson

Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.