How to reform Medicare’s physician fee schedule to reprioritize primary care

Primary care physicians are often called the quarterbacks of healthcare because they coordinate and direct patients’ journeys through the medical system. On a typical NFL team, the quarterback is the highest paid player.

But in healthcare, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Primary care physicians earn considerably less than many of their colleagues in other areas, a differential that’s led to doctor shortages and patient access problems.

Part of the issue lies with Medicare’s physician payment system, experts said during a Bipartisan Policy Center panel Wednesday.

Reimbursement to doctors in the massive federal insurance program is built on a collection of codes and services that don’t incentivize American doctors to improve their patients’ health, according to speakers. And sinc