Premise Health EVP Ed McNamara Interviewed by The Self-Insurer about Value-Focused Approach of Advanced Primary Care 

In the April issue of The Self-Insurer magazine, Executive Vice President of Business Development Strategy Ed McNamara was featured in an article about advanced primary care (APC), sharing his thoughts on the development of the model, how employers can utilize it in their plan design, and why Premise’s comprehensive model drives meaningful health outcomes and long-term savings. 

The article, titled “Primary Advantage: Advanced primary care emerging as the engine for value-based care,” starts with a simple premise: decades of dissatisfaction with traditional fee-for-service medicine and fragmented care has opened the door for a more coordinated, value-driven model, advanced primary care. 

McNamara stated that the industry shift beyond traditional, volume-based care started about a decade ago, with the emphasis placed on building comprehensive, team- and value-based models that fully-realize the improved health outcomes and cost savings of primary care. 

“We know that investing in high-quality, accessible primary care leads to healthier populations and lower total cost of care, and APC allows us to maximize outcomes and cost savings for the organizations we work with.” 

McNamara highlighted the APC’s distinctive design, anchored by a multidisciplinary care team focused on population health and cost management. “It brings together primary care, behavioral health, pharmacy, care management, care navigation and virtual primary care services to proactively care for members.” He added that it extends beyond the traditional patient-centered medical home model with digital access, better use of data analytics and technology, and a whole-person approach through behavioral health and pharmacy access.  

As interest in APC has continued to increase amongst self-insured employers, McNamara noted that it can be built into their plan design by focusing on access, affordability, and engagement. He suggested a few steps to get started, including making APC low- or no-cost for members or integrating it into their network as a preferred provider. For members, this shift in access to care turns the experience from reactive, episodic care to proactive care management, which will help avoid costly complications and save on out-of-pocket expenses for employees and employers in turn.  

McNamara also provided his thoughts on a recent trend of organizations exploring primary care-centered health plans to help drive engagement with APC and further improve overall health outcomes.  He shared results seen by a mutual client of Premise and Centivo, who partnered last year to launch a version of the health plan. The findings showed that 70% of the client’s population enrolled in the plan over a four-year period, resulting in an average 32% reduction in per-member, per-month healthcare spending. 

Continue reading in this year’s April issue of Self-Insurer Magazine.