With the reporting and tech burdens high even by large provider standards, solo and small group practices are preparing for a rough entry.
For small practices like those run by Jean Antonucci in Farmington, Maine, succeeding under new MACRA regulations will all boil down to the details. Unfortunately with MACRA, there are just so many she is just one of the many small practitioners dreading the rollout. That's not surprising given the 4,000-plus comments the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services received on the law.
Increasing access to primary care services in poor and rural communities means approaching the issue on multiple fronts, including telemedicine, patient engagement, and coordinated care, a payer's report suggests.
Rural and economically disadvantaged areas of the country pose a daunting challenge to boosting primary care services, a recent UnitedHealth Group study has found. But there is no single pathway toward expanding access and capacity, it suggests.
"Approximately 50 million Americans live in areas with an under-supply of primary care physicians. Most of these areas are rural," says the report, "Advancing Primary Care Delivery: Practical, Proven, and Scalable Approaches."
