A National Opportunity to Strengthen Primary Care, Led by Purchasers
PBGH is acting on behalf of its purchaser members to build a national Advanced Primary Care network grounded in common quality standards and strengthened by collective purchasing power.
By Raymond Tsai, M.D.
Employers know that better primary care is better for their employees and families, and a stronger foundation for every other healthcare investment they make. They are also a major force in healthcare, purchasing coverage for millions of Americans and directing hundreds of billions of dollars in annual spending. That gives them both a powerful interest in improving primary care and the ability to expand access to high-quality care.
In a recent PBGH member survey, 79% of respondents identified Advanced Primary Care as a top investment priority over the next three years. Today, PBGH is acting on that demand by releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify a partner that can help operationalize the PBGH National Advanced Primary Care Network.
The network will give participating purchasers a more efficient way to offer Advanced Primary Care across markets while establishing common expectations for quality, access, patient experience, data and outcomes. Practices will have an opportunity to reach more people through a consistent model. Employees and families will gain broader access to care designed around their needs and held to meaningful standards.
Purchaser leadership, backed by established standards
Access alone is not enough. Employers need confidence that the word advanced in Advanced Primary Care consistently delivers the attributes and outcomes that make it effective.
For five years, PBGH has led purchasers, clinicians and technical experts in defining what Advanced Primary Care should deliver. Through the PBGH Care Excellence Program, that work has produced shared attributes and quality measures for care that is person- and family-centered, relationship-based, accessible, comprehensive, coordinated, equitable and high value.
These standards will form the quality foundation of the network. Participating practices will be expected to meet common expectations and demonstrate performance, helping ensure that broader access also means access to high-quality care.
This purchaser-led approach is not new for PBGH. Through the Employer Centers of Excellence Network (ECEN), employers came together to expand access to high-quality specialty care through common quality standards. The National Advanced Primary Care Network builds on that same purchaser-led approach, applying it to primary care.
The selected partner will provide the operational infrastructure needed to implement and expand the network. PBGH will continue to lead network strategy, establish quality expectations, and help ensure participating practices are accountable to purchaser-defined standards.
Purchasers have a unique opportunity to help strengthen the foundation of healthcare. By aligning around a common framework for quality and accountability, they can help expand access to Advanced Primary Care while raising expectations for what that care should deliver.
Responses to the RFP are due October 23, 2026.
Learn more here.