Advanced Primary Care Works; Employers Are Trying to Make Sure It Survives

By: Raymond Tsai, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Strategy and Innovation

PBGH and our purchaser members have been pioneers in defining and scaling advanced primary care. From adopting the gold-standard measure set developed by PBGH’s California Quality Collaborative to launching a collective RFI to identify providers that meet those standards, our members have used their purchasing power to move the market. That work led to the PBGH Care Excellence Program and employers who’ve implemented advanced primary care meeting these standards have reported savings of 15–20%, with reduced ER visits, less unnecessary care, and stronger member experience.

We remain committed to advanced primary care because the results are consistent: higher-quality, better-coordinated, more affordable care for employees and their families. PBGH members’ advanced primary care initiatives have saved hundreds of millions of dollars and avoided tens of thousands of hospital admissions. As PBGH President and CEO Elizabeth Mitchell told Congress this March, we need to “redirect resources to underfunded yet high-value care areas including primary care.”

I’ve seen the power of advanced primary care firsthand. Before joining PBGH, I served as Medical Director for an agricultural employer in California’s Central Valley, where I worked to improve health outcomes for workers and their families. The advanced primary care model we implemented resulted in a significant reduction in pre-diabetes. When primary care is done right. People get healthier.

That experience is why I believe so strongly in what PBGH members are doing, and why I’m excited about what comes next.

Can Virtual Primary Care Meet the Standard Employers Have Set?

That’s the question we’re pushing forward now. Virtual primary care is everywhere, but employers aren’t just looking for a video visit. They want to know how virtual models can deliver the same whole-person, outcomes-driven care they’ve been building toward.

The PBGH Virtual Advanced Primary Care RFI is built on the same principles as our Common Purchasing Agreement and evaluates provider-level outcomes—whole-person care, behavioral health integration, clinical results, and health equity.

If your organization delivers advanced primary care virtually, we want to hear from you. Complete the Virtual APC RFI to identify potential partnership opportunities with leading employers. Submissions are due July 13, and findings will be shared with members this fall.

Employers are fighting for primary care because they know it works and they are not pausing on their work to move it forward into the future.