Two senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow patients who receive primary care from advanced practice providers to be included in Medicare’s ACO models.
Under current Medicare rules, patients are only assigned to an ACO if they receive care from a physician, according to a Dec. 5 news release.
The ACO Assignment Improvement Act — introduced Dec. 4 by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and John Barrasso, R-Wy. — would allow patients who receive primary care from nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinical nurse specialists to participate in ACO models.
The bill aims to expand access to coordinated care amid growing primary care shortages, particularly in rural areas.
Learn more here.
