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Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAAuthor: NCQA
Welcome to "Quality Matters," the podcast where we unpack the complexities of modern healthcare to shape a brighter future. Join us as we delve into the dynamic world of healthcare quality and innovation, exploring topics such as digital transformation, health equity, and quality standards. Each episode brings together thought leaders, industry experts, and innovators to discuss the latest trends, best practices, and challenges shaping the future of healthcare. With a focus on convening voices from across the industry, "Quality Matters" provides a platform for meaningful conversations and collaboration. Whether you're a health plan leader, a health IT professional, or simply someone passionate about improving healthcare outcomes, tune in to gain valuable insights and actionable strategies for driving positive change in healthcare delivery. Because when it comes to healthcare, quality truly matters. Join us on "Quality Matters" as we shape tomorrow's healthcare today. Language: en-us Genres: Health & Fitness, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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What’s New and What’s Next for Primary Care
Episode 160
Wednesday, 14 January, 2026
This episode of Quality Matters examines primary care’s evolving role and features Karen Johnson of the American Academy of Family Physicians and Jeff Sitko of NCQA. Karen and Jeff outline primary care’s distinguishing focus on patient relationships, the strain on the primary care workforce, and technology’s promise to ease burdens. The discussion connects the dots between workforce sustainability, AI-driven efficiency, payment reform, and NCQA’s vision for next-generation primary care.Karen highlights the underappreciated fact that only 5% of health care spending goes to primary care, despite public perception that the figure is—and should be—higher. Jeff describes a dawning era of proactive, data-driven care delivery. He also previews NCQA’s plans to build upon the successful Patient-Centered Medical Home model of primary care.HighlightsThe Human Core of Primary Care: Continuity and trust are what make primary care special, even as practice settings change.Workforce Challenges and Opportunities: Clinicians report high stress and burnout, yet relationships with patients keep them engaged. Building systems that protect these relationships—and make primary care careers attractive—is critical to sustainability.Economics and Incentives: Guests discuss new payment models, state-level initiatives and federal efforts to rebalance incentives and support primary care in new ways.Looking Ahead: The foundational Patient-Centered Medical Home model gets an update in 2026. Plus, Karen calls for a seismic shift to resource primary care as a common good.This episode is essential listening for healthcare executives, policymakers, and clinicians committed to strengthening primary care as the cornerstone of quality improvement.Key Quote:If you want to boil it down to the simplest terms, it's taking primary care from a reactive model—Call me when you're sick; I'll put you on my schedule; Come in and see me—to a proactive model.I am paying attention to a population of patients. They're mine. They're on my panel. And now maybe they're also tied to some accountability arrangement in value-based care, where performance comes into play.And so I'm going to be proactive for a lot of reasons. One, it's the right thing to do for patients. But I also want to make sure my patients are getting preventive services they need, they are taking the medications I prescribe, they are going to the referral I recommended. And I'm getting the information back from that physician, and my team is acting on that. It's all of those things that should be ubiquitous in primary care.-Karen Johnson, PhDTime Stamps:(01:07) The Changing Landscape of Primary Care(06:42) Challenges in the Primary Care Workforce(08:49) How Technology is Impacting Primary Care(15:59) Future Directions and Innovations(18:11) NCQA's Plans for 2026Dive Deeper:State of the Primary Care Workforce 2024 (HRSA)The Pulse of Primary Care (JGIM)Connect with Karen JohnsonConnect with Jeff Sitko Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
