Leveraged Primary Care: Lessons From the Trenches

To support primary care physicians (PCPs) in managing populations of patients requires a reengineering of PCP practices, and a new, disruptive model of care management, with the seamless integration of the 2. That is our conclusion, having watched 7 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) with direct employer contracts provide care to employed populations over a period of 6 years. We have seen dramatic improvement in outcomes when an ACO provides the needed resources, tears down the silos, and interweaves care management with PCP practices. That is leveraged primary care.