An expanded opportunity to provide tobacco cessation services in primary care

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decision on tobacco cessation counseling support the need for expanded cessation coverage. Primary care practices receiving CMS payments will soon be mandated to offer these services. This commentary discusses the salience of tobacco cessation policy in terms of opportunities for primary care, and anticipated issues in meeting healthcare reform requirements. Comments build upon recent federal policy and suggest areas to which primary care practices will need to attend when operationalizing tobacco cessation policies. Research supports efficacious tobacco cessation interventions delivered in a primary care context. To effectively implement tobacco cessation in primary care, practices will need to address coding and payment issues, define service offerings, identify reporting requirements, align with the medical home model, and increase provider buy-in.