Strengthening Health Equity through Primary Care Transformation

Primary care serves as the cornerstone of health care delivery, especially when addressing long-standing disparities in access and quality. To fully realize its potential in advancing health equity, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), in collaboration with Mathematica, highlights the importance of investing in primary care through a new report. The report emphasizes that while primary care is critical, underfunding and systemic barriers continue to limit its effectiveness.

To change this, key stakeholders, including providers, health plans and purchasers, must focus on actionable steps to improve care access, quality and equity.

California Advanced Primary Care Initiative

The CHCF report cites the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative as a prime example of how collaboration among health plans, providers and purchasers can successfully address health inequities. Launched by the California Quality Collaborative (CQC) and the Integrated Healthcare Association, the initiative aims to redefine primary care by focusing on high-value care that is accessible, coordinated and patient-centered. The initiative sets clear goals to improve quality, reduce costs and target disparities in underserved populations.

The California Advanced Primary Care Initiative offers a model that includes:

• Enhanced access to care. Expanding access through same-day appointments, telehealth integration and extended clinic hours, especially in underserved areas.
• Whole-person care. Integrating behavioral health services within primary care to address both mental and physical health, which is especially important for underserved communities facing multiple health challenges.
• Care coordination. Streamlining coordination between different providers — primary care, specialty and hospital care — to ensure smoother transitions and continuity for patients with chronic conditions.

Recommendations for Health Care Industry Stakeholders

The CHCF report offers the following recommendations for providers, health plans and purchasers:

1. For Health Care Providers

• Integrate behavioral and social services. Embed behavioral health and social care within primary care to address complex patient needs.
• Expand access. Increase telehealth options, same-day appointments and extend hours to reach underserved communities.
• Ensure continuity of care. Focus on building long-term patient-provider relationships and better care coordination to improve outcomes.

2. For Health Plans

• Increase primary care investment. Allocate more resources to primary care, addressing its critical role in population health.
• Adopt value-based payment models. Implement payment models that reward providers for improving patient outcomes and reducing disparities.
• Enhance data collection. Improve data on patient demographics and social determinants to better target health interventions.

3. For Purchasers

• Support primary care funding. Advocate for increased spending on primary care services within health plans.
• Address social determinants. Focus on housing, food insecurity and transportation, working with providers and health plans to mitigate these factors.
• Leverage accountability tools. Use tools like the Health Value Index to ensure resources are effectively allocated to primary care and equity initiatives.

Learn more about the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative.