Primary Care Workgroup

Overview

During the 2022 legislative session, Senate Bill 734, Maryland Health Care Commission – Primary Care Report and Workgroup (Workgroup) passed. Senate Bill 734 requires the Maryland Health Care Commission to convene a Workgroup of select stakeholders and annually report on ways to improve quality and access to primary care services, with special attention to increasing health care equity, reducing health care disparities, and avoiding increased costs to patients and the health care system.  

The Workgroup’s scope of work is broad and encompasses analyzing primary care spending, developing plans to improve quality and access to primary care, identifying strategies to reduce barriers to primary care, and identifying approaches to increase the primary care workforce. In 2023, the Workgroup will develop a plan for the annual analysis and drafting the report, which is due to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2023. Annual reporting begins December 2024.

Membership

A list of Workgroup members is available here.

Meetings

All posted meeting materials should be considered as draft until the workgroup meeting is held.

Meeting Materials: 

Meeting:  October 24, 2023:  3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

August 24, 2023: Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Update on Recent Primary Care Investments, Primary Care Investment Analysis and Reporting Plan, Oregon's Health Care Workforce Needs Assessement Report, Virginia Primary Care Scorecard, CMS Announces Mulit-State Initiative to Strengthen Primary Care

June 21, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Primary Care Investment Strategy Select State Comparison and Questions Presentation, Primary Care Investment Models Results Presentation, Target Considerations Presentation, Moving From Incremental to Transformational Strategies, Primary Care Investment State Policies, and Colorado Multi-Payer Collaborative: Lessons Learned for Primary Care Improvement

April 10, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Proposed Model Development Process Presentation, Primary Care Investment Model Results Presentation, Implementation of Social Needs Screening in Primary Care, A Clinician's Guide to Artificial Intelligence, and Post-Pandemic Telehealth Policy for Primary Care

March 27, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Principles for Defining Primary Care Presentation, Principles for Defining Primary Care Spending in Maryland Table, Journal of General Internal Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine

March 13, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Principles for Defining Primary Care Spending in Maryland, Primary Care Workplan Progress Presentation, Health Equity:  The Only Path Forward for Primary Care, and Implementing High-Quality Care Through a Health Equity Lens

February 27, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, CIVHC Report, FHC PCW Investment, Measuring Progress Towards Primary Care Goals, Maryland Primary Care Spend Privately Insured Draft, Milbank Baseline Scorecard, and NESCSO Primary Care Presentation.

February 13, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Framing Questions Presentation, and Measuring Progress Towards Primary Care Goals

January 23, 2023:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Freedman Update, Workforce Overview, and Measuring Progress Toward Primary Care Goals

November 10, 2022:  Recording, Agenda, Meeting Summary, Overview of Workgroup Activities Presentation, Similar State-Based Initiatives Presentation, Total Cost of Care Presentation, Primary Care Initiatives Presentation, and Workforce Presentation

Resources

Senate Bill 734, Maryland Health Care Commission – Primary Care Report and Workgroup  

Details the key provisions of the law. 

Freedman HealthCare, LLC Presentation - Increasing Primary Care Investment and Orientation: Experiences from Other States (2022)

Highlights experiences from other states working to increase primary care investment and orientation.

Measuring Non-Claims-Based Primary Care Spending (2021)

This brief proposes a standard definition and measurement methodology to quantify total investment in primary care and enable comparisons of spending across states and within a state by region, payer, and health care system.

Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care (2021)

This report provides an evidence-based plan with actionable objectives and recommendations for implementing high-quality primary care in the United States.

Contact

For more information or questions about the Workgroup, please contact:
Melanie Cavaliere, Division Chief for Innovative Care Delivery
Center for Health Information Technology & Innovative Care Delivery
Phone: 410.764.3282
Fax: 410.358.1236
Email: melanie.cavaliere@maryland.gov