If you run, work at, or invest in primary care in Georgia — or you are a Georgia Medicare beneficiary trying to understand where federal primary care payment is heading — there is a CMS Innovation Center model running quietly that is reshaping how Medicare pays primary care across the country. That model is Making Care Primary (MCP).
MCP is the CMS Innovation Center's voluntary primary care transformation model, the long-arc successor to Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+, January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2021) and Primary Care First (PCF, January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2026). MCP launched July 1, 2024 and runs through December 31, 2034 — a 10.5-year performance period that makes MCP the longest-running CMMI primary care model to date. MCP is structured as a three-track glide path designed to bring new primary care practices — including practices that have never participated in value-based payment — into accountable care progressively, with no downside risk in Track 1, partial capitation in Track 2, and fully prospective population-based payment in Track 3.
The critical fact for Georgia: MCP launched in only eight selected states — New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Minnesota. Georgia is NOT a selected state. Georgia primary care practices, FQHCs, and primary care networks cannot directly participate in the current MCP cohort. But MCP still matters for Georgia for several reasons: (a) North Carolina is a selected state, meaning border-region Georgia practices observe MCP closely; (b) Georgia primary care practices currently in PCF need to understand what comes after PCF Cohort 2 sunsets June 30, 2026; (c) MCP's design choices represent the latest CMMI thinking on primary care transformation and will influence the next nationwide primary care model that may include Georgia; (d) Georgia FQHC networks, Aledade Georgia, Privia Health Georgia, and Atlanta-area system primary care arms (Wellstar, Emory, Piedmont, Northside) all track MCP for operational lessons and strategic positioning.
This guide walks Georgia primary care practice leaders, FQHC administrators, MSO and ACO operators, and Medicare beneficiaries through every component of MCP: the statutory foundation, the 10.5-year performance period, the three-track glide path, the eight selected states, the multi-payer alignment requirement, the enhanced services payments, the performance-based adjustments, the upfront infrastructure payment, the quality measures, the required Health Equity Plan, the Advanced APM status for Track 3, and the coordination with overlapping programs. We also walk through what Georgia practices should be doing right now even though Georgia is not a selected state.
What MCP is: the statutory and regulatory foundation
MCP rests on a six-layer statutory and regulatory stack:
Section 1115A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1315a) — the CMMI statutory framework — gives the Secretary of HHS authority to test innovative payment and service-delivery models. Added by Section 3021 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148, March 23, 2010), Section 1115A is what enables CMS to run voluntary and mandatory models without going back to Congress for new authority each time. MCP is a Section 1115A model.
The MCP Model Announcement (June 8, 2023 CMS press release plus subsequent Request for Applications) defined MCP as a 10.5-year voluntary model in eight selected states with three risk tracks, multi-payer alignment, upfront infrastructure payments, enhanced services payments, performance-based adjustments, mandatory Health Equity Plans, and Track 3 Advanced APM eligibility.
CPC+ predecessor (January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2021) was CMMI's medical-home-evolution model: two tracks of advanced primary care, Medicare PBPM care management fees, and performance-based incentive payments tied to quality and utilization. CPC+ enrolled ~3,000 practices across 18 regions. CPC+ produced billions in care-transformation investments but mixed savings results.
PCF predecessor (January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2026) shifted to a more prospective payment model: Total Primary Care Payment (TPCP) combining Population-Based Payment + Flat Primary Care Visit Fee + Performance-Based Adjustment. PCF had two cohorts (Cohort 1 PY 2021-2025; Cohort 2 PY 2022-2026). Georgia primary care practices participate in PCF — see the separate PCF deep-dive. PCF was Advanced APM-qualifying for all participants. PCF Cohort 2 sunsets June 30, 2026.
Section 1833(z) of the Social Security Act — added by MACRA 2015 (Public Law 114-10, April 16, 2015), Title I, Section 101 — is the Advanced APM statutory framework. Track 3 MCP qualifies as Advanced APM. Tracks 1 and 2 do NOT. Track 3 practice physicians can become Qualifying APM Participants (QPs), exempt from MIPS, and (historically) earn 5% APM incentive payments.
Multi-payer alignment requirement. MCP requires participating CMS-aligned practices in selected states to align with state Medicaid programs and commercial payers. This is a deeper multi-payer alignment than CPC+ or PCF, designed to give practices coherent payment incentives across all payers — not just Medicare.
When MCP runs: the 10.5-year performance period
MCP's performance period:
- Launch: July 1, 2024
- Phase 1 (Years 1-3): July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2027 — capability building and Track 1 enrollment
- Phase 2 (Years 4-7): July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2031 — Track 2 transitions and broader scaling
- Phase 3 (Years 8-10.5): July 1, 2031 – December 31, 2034 — Track 3 transitions and model maturity
- Sunset: December 31, 2034
The 10.5-year length is intentional. CMS observed that primary care transformation requires years to mature: building care management infrastructure, hiring and training population health staff, integrating behavioral health, deploying patient-reported outcomes, restructuring referral patterns and care coordination. CPC+ ran 5 years and PCF runs 5 years — both arguably too short for the transformation CMS wants to drive. MCP's 10.5-year window gives practices a credible long-horizon investment case.
Who can participate: the eight selected states
MCP is open ONLY to primary care practices located in eight selected states:
- New York
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Washington
- Colorado
- North Carolina
- New Mexico
- Minnesota
CMS selected these eight states based on:
- Existing state-level multi-payer primary care infrastructure
- State Medicaid agency commitment to MCP alignment
- Commercial payer participation willingness
- Geographic and demographic diversity
- Existing primary care transformation maturity
Georgia is NOT a selected state. Georgia's substantial primary care footprint — Atlanta-area integrated systems, FQHC networks, Aledade Georgia, Privia Health Georgia, statewide independent practices — cannot directly participate in the current MCP cohort.
This is consequential. PCF (the predecessor) was open in 26 regions including Georgia. MCP narrowing to eight states reflects CMS's strategic shift toward deeper multi-payer alignment in fewer regions rather than broader nationwide voluntary participation.
For Georgia, this means:
- No direct MCP participation pathway in the current cohort
- Georgia practices in PCF continue through PCF Cohort 2 sunset June 30, 2026
- After PCF sunset, Georgia primary care practices have no successor CMMI primary care model available unless CMS announces an expansion or new model
- Georgia practices' continued accountable care participation runs through MSSP ACOs, ACO REACH, and other non-MCP pathways
The three-track glide path
MCP is structured as a progressive three-track glide path:
Track 1: Foundational Capabilities (no downside risk)
- For practices new to value-based payment
- Builds capabilities: care management, behavioral health integration, population health, data analytics
- Enhanced Services Payment (ESP) funds capability investment
- Upfront infrastructure payment (one-time) to support capacity-building
- NO downside risk
- Performance-based adjustment is upside-only
- NOT Advanced APM
- Typically Years 1-3 for new participants
Track 2: Partial Capitation (50/50 FFS + capitation hybrid)
- Practices that have built foundational capabilities transition to Track 2
- 50% prospective capitation + 50% fee-for-service
- Two-sided performance-based adjustment (smaller corridor)
- Enhanced Services Payment continues
- NOT Advanced APM (insufficient risk under Section 1833(z))
- Typically Years 4-7
Track 3: Fully Prospective Population-Based Payment (Advanced APM eligible)
- Practices that have demonstrated capability move to Track 3
- Fully prospective population-based payment (PBP) replaces FFS for primary care services
- Two-sided performance-based adjustment (larger corridor)
- Enhanced Services Payment continues
- QUALIFIES AS ADVANCED APM under Section 1833(z) SSA
- Practice physicians can become QPs
- MIPS exemption + 5% APM incentive payment (historical rate)
- Typically Years 8-10.5
Glide path significance
The track structure is fundamentally different from PCF (which placed practices in a tier based on practice characteristics from the start). MCP's glide path lets a practice start with no risk, build capabilities, then progressively assume more risk and prospective payment over the 10.5-year window. This is CMS's response to feedback that PCF and prior models required too much capability up front, limiting participation to already-sophisticated practices.
MCP payments: the four-component structure
MCP practices receive four types of payment from Medicare:
1. Fee-For-Service (FFS) for Track 1 and Track 2
- Track 1: standard FFS for primary care services
- Track 2: 50% of primary care services prospectively paid via capitation, 50% FFS
- Track 3: prospective PBP replaces primary care FFS (E&M still billable but reconciled against capitation)
2. Enhanced Services Payment (ESP)
- Per-beneficiary-per-month (PBPM) payment for care management, navigation, behavioral health
- Risk-adjusted by patient complexity
- Higher PBPM for high-needs and dual-eligible beneficiaries
- Funds practice transformation infrastructure
- Paid across all three tracks
3. Performance-Based Adjustment (PBA)
- Annual reconciliation based on practice performance
- Quality and utilization measures
- Track 1: upside-only
- Tracks 2 and 3: two-sided
4. Upfront Infrastructure Payment (one-time)
- Year 1 of participation
- Capability-building grant
- Higher amounts for safety-net practices and FQHCs
- Funds EHR investments, hiring care managers, behavioral health integration, data analytics
The four-component structure is more generous than PCF or CPC+, particularly the upfront infrastructure payment, which is new to MCP and reflects CMS recognition that capability-building requires capital that prospective monthly payments alone can't fund.
Quality measures and patient experience
MCP uses a quality measure set focused on primary care effectiveness:
- A1C control for diabetes patients
- Blood pressure control for hypertension patients
- Depression screening and follow-up
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Tobacco use screening and intervention
- Patient experience (CAHPS-type measures)
- Total Cost of Care (TCOC) — primary-care-attributable spending
- Utilization measures — hospitalizations, ED visits, readmissions
- Patient-Reported Outcomes — functional status, symptoms
These align with broader CMS measurement (similar measures in MSSP, ACO REACH, PCF) and reduce participant measurement burden.
Health Equity Plan: required for all MCP participants
Like EOM, MCP requires every participant to develop and submit a Health Equity Plan that:
- Identifies disparities in the practice's patient population (by race, ethnicity, dual-eligibility, geographic, language, disability)
- Specifies interventions to reduce disparities
- Sets measurable goals
- Tracks progress over the model's performance period
- Reports results to CMS
Practices also collect and report beneficiary-level Area Deprivation Index (ADI) data, used for risk-adjustment of benchmarks and equity-adjustment of reconciliation.
The Health Equity Plan requirement signals continued CMMI strategic priority: payment models should reduce disparities, not just save money.
Multi-payer alignment: a structural innovation
A distinguishing MCP feature is multi-payer alignment. CMS requires participating CMS-aligned practices to:
- Align with state Medicaid programs in the selected state
- Engage commercial payers to align payment incentives
This means a practice in MCP receives consistent payment signals across Medicare, Medicaid, and major commercial payers — not just Medicare. The theory is that practices investing in care transformation need coherent incentives from all major payers to make the investments pencil out economically.
In the eight selected states, state Medicaid agencies have explicitly committed to MCP alignment. Commercial payer alignment is variable but actively sought.
This is a deeper alignment than CPC+ (which had multi-payer alignment but less rigorous) and PCF (which was largely Medicare-only). It also represents a significant operational burden for participating practices — but a substantial payoff if alignment delivers coherent incentives across patient panels.
Advanced APM status: Track 3 only
MCP Track 3 qualifies as Advanced APM under Section 1833(z) SSA. Track 1 and Track 2 do NOT.
Track 3 practice physicians can:
- Become Qualifying APM Participants (QPs) if they meet patient or payment threshold
- Earn MIPS exemption
- Historically receive 5% APM incentive payment on Part B professional services (rate has stepped down in recent years)
- After CY 2025, shift to QP-conversion-factor pathway
The glide path implication: practices in MCP need to reach Track 3 before they can become Advanced APM participants. Track 1 and Track 2 practices remain in MIPS or report via APM Performance Pathway (APP) if eligible through other arrangements.
Coordination with concurrent programs
MCP operates alongside other Medicare programs:
MSSP / ACO REACH overlap
- Beneficiaries attributed to ACOs can have primary care attributed to MCP practices
- Coordination rules apply for primary care attribution
- Practices cannot dual-participate in MCP and MSSP for the same beneficiaries in all cases
- Specific rules in MCP participation agreement
PCF coordination
- PCF practices in MCP selected states can transition to MCP if eligible
- PCF and MCP cannot overlap for the same practice
- PCF sunsets December 31, 2026 (Cohort 2)
- After PCF sunset, eligible MCP-state practices continue in MCP; ineligible practices return to FFS or other arrangements
Medicaid Section 1115 alignment
- State Medicaid programs in MCP states use Section 1115 waivers to align Medicaid primary care payment with MCP design
- Multi-payer alignment depth varies by state
MIPS / MIPS APM / APP
- Track 3 QPs exempt from MIPS
- Tracks 1 and 2 in MIPS or APP
Why MCP matters for Georgia even though Georgia is not selected
Georgia is not a selected state, but MCP still matters here for several reasons:
1. North Carolina as a selected state
North Carolina IS an MCP selected state. Many Georgia primary care leaders, FQHC networks, and integrated systems collaborate with North Carolina counterparts, attend joint conferences, and learn from cross-border lessons. Border-region practices in northern Georgia near the Tennessee/North Carolina line have particular visibility.
2. PCF Cohort 2 sunset June 30, 2026
Georgia primary care practices currently in PCF Cohort 2 face a post-PCF transition decision. MCP would be the natural successor, but Georgia is not selected. After PCF sunset, Georgia PCF practices must choose among: (a) return to fee-for-service Medicare, (b) join an MSSP ACO, (c) join ACO REACH, (d) wait for a future CMMI model that includes Georgia. The first three options are available now.
3. Georgia FQHC networks observing MCP
Georgia FQHCs in Atlanta (Mercy Care, Saint Joseph's Mercy Care), Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, and rural Georgia operate substantial Medicaid + Medicare primary care footprints. MCP's design choices, especially the upfront infrastructure payment for safety-net practices, are closely watched. Lessons from North Carolina FQHC participation in MCP inform Georgia FQHC strategic planning.
4. Aledade and Privia Health Georgia networks
Aledade and Privia operate large primary care MSSP ACO networks in Georgia. MCP lessons inform their value-based care infrastructure investments. North Carolina Aledade and Privia networks share infrastructure with Georgia counterparts.
5. Atlanta-area integrated system primary care arms
Wellstar Health System, Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, and Northside Hospital System all operate substantial employed primary care arms. These systems' primary care strategic planning teams track MCP closely as the model that may influence the next nationwide CMMI primary care expansion.
6. Future model design influence
CMS regularly cites MCP design choices when describing the future of CMMI primary care models. The next nationwide CMMI primary care model — which may include Georgia — will likely incorporate MCP-derived design elements (track glide path, upfront infrastructure payment, deep multi-payer alignment, mandatory Health Equity Plan).
7. Georgia Medicaid PCMH alignment lessons
Georgia Medicaid operates Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) arrangements through its managed care plans (Amerigroup, CareSource, Peach State Health Plan, etc.). MCP's deeper Medicaid-Medicare-commercial alignment in selected states offers Georgia Medicaid a roadmap for strengthening PCMH design.
Worked examples — six Georgia perspectives
Example 1: Fulton 70 — Atlanta PCP comparison
Maria, 70, is an Atlanta resident receiving primary care at a Wellstar employed primary care practice in Fulton County. Maria is in Original Medicare. Her PCP is in MSSP through Wellstar's ACO.
Maria's PCP cannot participate in MCP because Georgia is not selected. The practice operates under MSSP attribution: Maria's total cost of care is tracked across the Wellstar ACO, and the practice receives shared savings if the ACO performs well. Maria's PCP does NOT receive MCP's Enhanced Services Payment, MCP's Upfront Infrastructure Payment, or MCP's Performance-Based Adjustment.
If Maria lived in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina, her PCP could potentially be in MCP — receiving ESP PBPM, performance-based adjustment, upfront infrastructure payment, and (in Track 3) Advanced APM status.
Example 2: DeKalb 75 — DeKalb FQHC
James, 75, receives primary care at Mercy Care DeKalb, a federally qualified health center serving low-income and dual-eligible patients. Mercy Care is in MSSP through a safety-net ACO.
Mercy Care cannot participate in MCP because Georgia is not selected. The FQHC operates under standard FQHC FFS payment (PPS rate per visit) plus MSSP attribution. If Georgia were a selected state, Mercy Care would be a strong MCP candidate — safety-net FQHCs receive larger upfront infrastructure payments in MCP, and the multi-payer alignment with Georgia Medicaid would be operationally meaningful.
Mercy Care's leadership tracks North Carolina FQHC MCP participation closely to inform Georgia strategic planning.
Example 3: Cobb 68 — Cobb suburban PCP in Aledade
Linda, 68, receives primary care at an independent practice in Cobb County. The practice is part of Aledade Georgia's MSSP ACO network. Aledade provides practice transformation support, EHR analytics, and shared savings distribution.
The practice cannot participate in MCP because Georgia is not selected. Aledade Georgia tracks MCP closely because Aledade operates in North Carolina (a selected state), and infrastructure investments cross-pollinate between Aledade's MCP and MSSP practice networks.
Example 4: Worth County 72 — Albany rural
Robert, 72, lives in rural Worth County and receives primary care at a small independent practice in Albany. The practice is not in any ACO or CMMI model. Standard FFS Medicare.
Robert's practice could not participate in MCP even if Georgia were selected — many rural Georgia primary care practices lack the value-based payment infrastructure prerequisites. But if Georgia were selected, MCP's Track 1 Foundational Capabilities + Upfront Infrastructure Payment is specifically designed for practices like Robert's that have never participated in value-based payment. The 10.5-year glide path would give the practice time to build capability without downside risk.
Example 5: Bibb 80 — Macon practice
Patricia, 80, receives primary care at an Atrium Health Navicent affiliated primary care practice in Macon. Atrium Navicent has primary care arms in MSSP.
The Macon practice cannot participate in MCP because Georgia is not selected. Atrium Health operates in North Carolina, and Atrium's North Carolina primary care arm may participate in MCP. Cross-state lessons inform Atrium Navicent Georgia strategic planning.
Example 6: Hall 67 — Gainesville
Robert, 67, receives primary care at a Northeast Georgia Physicians Group practice in Hall County (Gainesville, Atlanta MSA). The practice is in PCF Cohort 2 — receiving PCF Total Primary Care Payment (TPCP), Performance-Based Adjustment, and qualifying as Advanced APM under PCF.
PCF Cohort 2 sunsets June 30, 2026. After sunset, this practice has no MCP successor available (Georgia not selected). Options: (a) return to FFS Medicare, (b) join an MSSP ACO (likely through Wellstar Atlanta ACO or Aledade Georgia), (c) join ACO REACH, (d) wait for a future CMMI model.
This is a real, current strategic question for hundreds of Georgia PCF practices in 2026.
14 best practices for Georgia primary care leaders observing MCP
- Track MCP design publications — innovation.cms.gov/innovation-models/making-care-primary
- Connect with North Carolina counterparts — Aledade NC, Privia NC, NC FQHC networks, Atrium NC
- Plan post-PCF transition if your practice is in PCF Cohort 2 (sunsetting June 30, 2026)
- Build MCP-style infrastructure even without direct participation — care managers, behavioral health integration, data analytics
- Strengthen multi-payer alignment with Georgia Medicaid MCO PCMH arrangements
- Develop a Health Equity Plan even without MCP requirement — competitive differentiation
- Collect ADI data at the beneficiary level — useful for any future value-based model
- Evaluate MSSP / ACO REACH as primary value-based vehicles for Georgia
- Lobby for Georgia inclusion in future CMMI model expansions through Georgia Hospital Association, Georgia Medical Association, advocacy
- Monitor MCP Phase 2 evaluation — CMS reports inform future model design
- Build relationships with state Medicaid — multi-payer alignment is the future
- Invest in EHR and data analytics capable of capturing patient-reported outcomes
- Integrate behavioral health — increasingly central to all CMMI primary care models
- Maintain Advanced APM eligibility through MSSP Enhanced Track or ACO REACH if Advanced APM bonus matters strategically
14 common issues and how to handle them
- "Can my Georgia practice join MCP?" — No, Georgia is not a selected state in the current cohort
- "When will Georgia be added?" — No announced expansion as of 2026; future expansions possible
- "What happens to my PCF practice after June 30, 2026?" — PCF Cohort 2 sunsets; transition to FFS, MSSP, or ACO REACH
- "Can MCP and MSSP overlap?" — Generally no for same beneficiaries; specific rules in MCP agreement (moot for Georgia since not selected)
- "Should I move my practice to NC to join MCP?" — Practice location is determined by where you're licensed and where Medicare-attributed beneficiaries live; not feasible
- "Can I learn MCP lessons without participation?" — Yes — partner with NC counterparts, attend CMMI webinars, read evaluation reports
- "My commercial payer offers MCP-style payment" — Some commercial payers offer MCP-aligned arrangements even in non-selected states
- "My state Medicaid has a PCMH program" — Yes, Georgia Medicaid PCMH operates through Amerigroup, CareSource, Peach State; less aggressive than MCP-aligned Medicaid in selected states
- "Does MCP include behavioral health integration?" — Yes, behavioral health integration is core to MCP design (and a useful Georgia investment area)
- "What's the difference between MCP and PCF?" — PCF has tier-based participation (no glide path); MCP has three-track glide path with no-risk Track 1; MCP has upfront infrastructure payment; MCP has deeper multi-payer alignment; MCP runs 10.5 years vs PCF's 5
- "Does MCP affect my Medicare benefits?" — Beneficiary cost-sharing is unchanged
- "My PCP is in MCP because I'm in NC" — Possible; check with your PCP
- "How does MCP coordinate with hospice?" — Hospice election doesn't disenroll from MCP attribution but changes services covered
- "What's the upfront infrastructure payment?" — One-time grant to MCP practices in Year 1; higher for safety-net and FQHC; funds EHR, care managers, behavioral health
25 frequently asked questions
1. What is Making Care Primary (MCP)? The CMS Innovation Center's voluntary primary care transformation model, successor to CPC+ and PCF. Runs July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2034.
2. Is MCP mandatory? No, MCP is voluntary. Primary care practices in selected states apply to participate.
3. When did MCP launch? July 1, 2024.
4. When does MCP end? December 31, 2034 — a 10.5-year performance period.
5. Which eight states are selected for MCP? New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, Minnesota.
6. Is Georgia a selected state? No. Georgia is NOT a selected state. Georgia primary care practices cannot directly participate in the current MCP cohort.
7. What are the three MCP tracks? Track 1 (Foundational Capabilities, no downside risk), Track 2 (Partial Capitation, 50/50 FFS-capitation), Track 3 (Fully Prospective Population-Based Payment, Advanced APM eligible).
8. Is MCP Advanced APM? Track 3 qualifies as Advanced APM under Section 1833(z) SSA. Tracks 1 and 2 do NOT.
9. What is the Enhanced Services Payment? PBPM payment for care management, navigation, and behavioral health integration. Risk-adjusted by patient complexity.
10. What is the upfront infrastructure payment? One-time Year-1 grant to MCP practices for capability building. Higher amounts for safety-net and FQHC practices.
11. What is the performance-based adjustment? Annual reconciliation based on practice quality and utilization performance. Track 1 upside-only; Tracks 2 and 3 two-sided.
12. How does MCP differ from CPC+? MCP has glide path tracks (CPC+ had advanced tier from start), upfront infrastructure payment (new in MCP), deeper multi-payer alignment, 10.5 years (CPC+ was 5).
13. How does MCP differ from PCF? MCP has glide path (PCF had practice tiers from start), no-risk Track 1 (PCF was risk from start), upfront infrastructure payment, 10.5 years (PCF was 5 with two cohorts).
14. What happens to PCF Cohort 2 practices in Georgia after June 30, 2026? PCF sunsets. Georgia practices not eligible for MCP (Georgia not selected). Options: FFS, MSSP, ACO REACH, or wait for future CMMI model.
15. Can Georgia practices learn MCP lessons? Yes. Track MCP publications. Connect with North Carolina counterparts. Attend CMMI webinars. Build MCP-style infrastructure independently.
16. Does MCP require multi-payer alignment? Yes. Participating CMS-aligned practices in selected states must align with state Medicaid and engage commercial payers.
17. Does MCP require a Health Equity Plan? Yes, every MCP participant must develop and submit a Health Equity Plan.
18. What quality measures does MCP use? A1C control, BP control, depression screening, colorectal cancer screening, tobacco intervention, patient experience (CAHPS), Total Cost of Care, utilization (hospitalizations/ED), patient-reported outcomes.
19. How does ADI data work in MCP? Beneficiary-level Area Deprivation Index used for risk-adjustment of benchmarks and equity-adjustment of reconciliation.
20. Can a Georgia patient be attributed to an MCP practice? Only if attributed to an MCP-participating practice in a selected state (e.g., a Georgia retiree who relocated to North Carolina).
21. Does MCP change beneficiary cost-sharing? No. Beneficiary out-of-pocket follows standard Medicare rules.
22. Will Georgia be added to MCP? No announced expansion as of 2026. Future expansion possible.
23. Which Georgia primary care entities track MCP closely? Wellstar, Emory, Piedmont, Northside primary care arms; Aledade Georgia; Privia Health Georgia; Georgia FQHCs (Mercy Care, etc.); Georgia Primary Care Association.
24. What's the 5% APM incentive payment? Historical rate for QPs in Advanced APMs (including MCP Track 3 once reached). Rate has stepped down in recent years; check current QPP rate.
25. Where can I learn more? CMS Innovation Center MCP page at innovation.cms.gov/innovation-models/making-care-primary. QPP Service Center 1-866-288-8292.
Why MCP matters for Georgia even though Georgia is not selected
MCP represents CMS's bet that the longest CMMI primary care performance period to date (10.5 years), combined with a glide-path track structure that brings new practices in at no downside risk, plus upfront infrastructure capital, plus deep multi-payer alignment, plus mandatory Health Equity Plans, can finally drive sustained primary care transformation at scale. The design choices reflect explicit lessons from CPC+ and PCF: shorter performance periods limited mature transformation; tier-based participation excluded practices that needed glide paths; lack of upfront capital starved capability-building.
For Georgia, MCP matters even without direct participation. Georgia primary care leaders watch MCP for: lessons on track-based glide paths, value of upfront infrastructure payments, depth of multi-payer alignment achievable, Health Equity Plan operationalization, and Advanced APM positioning through Track 3 evolution. North Carolina's selected-state status creates a natural learning partner. Georgia PCF practices facing PCF Cohort 2 sunset June 30, 2026 must plan post-PCF transitions immediately and lobby for future Georgia inclusion in CMMI primary care expansions.
The strategic takeaway for Georgia: while you can't participate in MCP now, build MCP-style infrastructure anyway — care managers, behavioral health integration, ADI data collection, Health Equity Plan execution, multi-payer alignment with Georgia Medicaid MCOs and commercial payers. When the next CMMI primary care model expands nationally (likely incorporating MCP design lessons), Georgia practices that have built this infrastructure will be positioned to participate immediately and at higher value.
Contacts
- Medicare — 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), www.medicare.gov
- CMS Innovation Center (MCP) — innovation.cms.gov/innovation-models/making-care-primary
- QPP Service Center — 1-866-288-8292 (qpp.cms.gov)
- Palmetto GBA (Jurisdiction J MAC) — 1-866-238-9650
- GeorgiaCares SHIP — 1-866-552-4464
- Medicare Rights Center — 1-800-333-4114
- Atlanta Legal Aid — 404-377-0701
- GA Legal Services — 1-800-498-9469
- 211 Georgia — dial 2-1-1
- Eldercare Locator — 1-800-677-1116
- Acentra Health QIO — 1-844-455-8708
- SSA — 1-800-772-1213
- Aledade — 301-565-3225 (aledade.com)
- Privia Health — 571-915-2080 (priviahealth.com)
- Georgia Primary Care Association — 770-455-0429 (gaprimarycare.org)
- Georgia Hospital Association — 770-249-4500 (gha.org)
- Georgia Medical Association — 678-303-9270 (mag.org)
Last verified: May 14, 2026 Status: In review Pillar: Medicaid / Medicare (Georgia) Voice: Policy translator