It was nice while it lasted – due to a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), services furnished by certain primary care providers (“PCPs”) were subject to an enhanced payment rate for Calendar Years 2013 and 2014. These PCPs had to have (a) been Board certified in the specialty designation of family medicine, general internal medicine or pediatric medicine or have a subspecialty designation recognized by specific boards or associations, or (b) furnished more than 60% of claims in specific evaluation and management or vaccine administration services under certain codes to have been eligible for these enhanced payments.[1] The payments were raised to the level of the Medicare Part B fee schedule rate (unless the actual billed charge for the service was lower), and providers had until April 1, 2013 to self-attest to being eligible.[2] The increase applied to both fee-for-service and managed care Medicaid plans.

By January 2015, Walmart will be operating dozen primary care clinics across the U.S. Six of these have already opened in South Carolina and Texas. Currently, some Walmart stores include acute care clinics that are operated through leases with local hospital operators. The new primary care clinics are distinct from the existing ones in several ways. The new clinics will be fully-owned by Walmart, offer a broader range of services, and be open seven days a week with longer operating hours. Walmart is partnering with QuadMed nationally to operate the clinics, rather than with local partners. The primary care clinics will be staffed primarily by nurse practitioners and medical assistants and will be supervised by a physician.