New Jersey was selected as one of seven states to participate in a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services trial program in which, through multipayer agreements, physicians are incentivized to provide more coordinated care.

The comprehensive primary care initiative is being launched in New Jersey, along with New York, Colorado, Arkansas and three other states. According to the CMS website, Medicare will work with commercial and state health insurance plans and offer bonus payments to primary care doctors who better coordinate care for their patients. The physicians who participate, which will be limited to 75 practices, will be given resources to better help coordinate care.

New Jersey insurers participating alongside CMS are Amerigroup, AmcriHcalth New Jersey, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Teamsters Multi-Employer Taft Hartley Funds and UnitedHealthcare.

After two to four years of participation in the incentive, CMS says physicians also will qualify for gain sharing of any additional savings. -Melinda Caliendo