In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 2, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) called for immediate action to support primary care physicians and the primary care system, which are on the verge of collapse due to a variety of factors originating from the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter called for HHS to do the following:
- Provide immediate financial assistance by distributing provider relief funds in the form of one-time payments equal to the total Medicare fee-for-service payments distributed to each eligible NPI and/or TIN for July through December 2019, multiplied by three to accommodate for lost revenue from Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and commercial insurers;
- Reinstate the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program for the rest of 2020 with a lower interest rate; and
- Build a better primary care system, with Primary Care First expanded nationally, including a 2022 program start date for physicians who are eager to move into the model, but require more time to do so.