Physician payment advocacy

woman doctor leading a meeting with other doctors

Physician payment reform must be a top priority across all payer systems to transform and grow comprehensive primary care.

The AAFP advocates for payment policies that meaningfully invest in primary care while correcting the income disparity between primary care physicians and subspecialists. This shift is essential to ensuring a robust and sustainable primary care workforce.

Payment advocacy by topic

Alternative payment methods

Alternative payment models (APMs) help move toward policies that promote and finance comprehensive primary care.

Direct primary care

Direct primary care rewards family physicians for emphasizing patient care while reducing overhead and negative incentives associated with fee-for-service, third-party-payer billing.

Medicaid physician payment

Medicaid payment should be at least equal to Medicare’s payment rate when provided by a primary care physician.

Medicare physician payment

The AAFP advocates to improve Medicare physician payment rates and ensure that physicians receive stable and appropriate compensation.

Why payment reform matters to family physicians

Primary care physicians are facing increasing administrative complexity as their compensation remains stagnant. This imbalance threatens the growth and sustainability of the primary care workforce. That’s why the AAFP is committed to advancing physician payment reform—to ensure that future payment models center the essential, comprehensive care that family physicians deliver every day.

The AAFP’s payment policy priorities

Medicare and Medicaid—America’s largest and most influential health programs—cover more than 100 million people. As both programs undergo significant transformation, the AAFP recognizes the critical need to implement meaningful physician payment reform while reducing administrative complexity and strengthening the family medicine workforce.

Primary care improves health outcomes and reduces health care costs. Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement structures must reflect that impact and ensure adequate payment for the full scope of services provided by primary care physicians.

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