Primary Care Network Archive

The Milbank Memorial Fund supported two now-archived primary care networks: the Multipayer Primary Care Network and the Medicaid Transformation Network.

For over a decade, the Multipayer Primary Care (MPC) Network provided a forum for members involved in multipayer primary care transformation to share data, participate in collaborative learning, and advocate for improved collaboration between the states and the federal government on new and ongoing initiatives. Payers in 30 states or regions were represented at various times, with a maximum 150 participants (~60 active).  The MPC was disbanded in February 2024. Given the dwindling number of participants due to lower payer involvement in CMMI Primary Care models and our sharper focus on historically marginalized and underserved populations, this decision was consistent with the Fund’s new focus on health equity.

The MPC supported the following Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center (CMMI) primary care models:

  • Multipayer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration (2011-2016)
  • Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative (2012-2016)
  • Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (2017-2022)
  • Primary Care First (2020-present)

The Medicaid Transformation Network was a voluntary collaborative of State Medicaid Agencies actively engaged in multipayer efforts to create and sustain high-quality primary care for their citizens.  It focused on multipayer value-based payment and on measuring progress towards health equity goals.

The participating states included Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont and Washington, represented by approximately 20 State Medicaid Agency leaders.

The network was disbanded in December 2023, when the Milbank Making Care Primary (MCP) Network was established at the request of CMMI leadership.

Primary Care Networks

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Resource Types

Blog Post

Policy Pathways to Support NP-Owned Primary Care Practices in Rural Areas

October 2026
Monica O’Reilly-Jacob and Jennifer Perloff
In this post, we highlight the nurse practitioner practice owners’ unique contributions and challenges in providing primary care in rural areas. We offer state policy recommendations to support rural NP-owned practices, including leveraging funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program. More

Publication

Holding the Line: Primary Care’s Response to Fragmented Immunization Guidance

October 2026
Rebecca S. Etz, Conor M. C. Duffy, Brooke Bishop, Martha M. Gonzalez, Bernard Ewigman and Kurt C. Stange
Primary care clinicians have made significant changes to their practice since the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices revised its adult and pediatric vaccine recommendations, according to new findings from Larry A. Green Center Flash Survey of US primary care clinicians. More

Blog Post

Data That Can Drive Primary Care Investment

September 2026
Aamir Mansoor and Joe Telano
A new report from the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), developed with input from the Primary Care Investment Network (PCIN), examines how states are using APCD and other data strategies to advance primary care investment. More

Publication

Rapid Growth, Uncertain Impact: Nurse Practitioners and the Future of Primary Care Access

September 2026
Monica O’Reilly-Jacob, David Auerbach, Alex Hoyt, Hilary Barnes, Bethany A. Croke, Victoria Winogora, Susan Kelly-Weeder and Sean Clarke
This analysis considers the impact of the profession’s rapid growth on access to high-quality primary care, particularly in safety net settings, where NPs already play an outsized role in care delivery. More

Blog Post

Building a Robust Primary Care Workforce: Diffusing Lessons Across States

September 2026
Erin Fraher and Andreas Stomby
In the absence of a national health workforce strategy in the United States, individual states, including Missouri, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, have developed and implemented state-level graduate medical education (GME) strategies to “grow their own” primary care workforce. The challenge will be diffusing the lessons learned from their efforts across states. More

Publication

Putting the Roadmap to a Comprehensive State Graduate Medical Education Strategy into Practice: State Perspectives

July 2026
Lori Rodefeld, Raquel Davis, Erin Fraher, Heidi B. Miller, Shelby Rimmler-Cohen, Mary Alice Scott, Mukesh Adhikari and Emily M. Hawes
Physician workforce shortages are limiting access to health care in nearly every state, with underserved and rural areas facing the greatest shortfalls. More

Blog Post

Sustaining Universal, Preventive-Centered Care Through Neighborhood Nursing

June 2026
André Nogueira, Natalia Barolín and Sarah Szanton
The fragmented multi-payer system in the United States creates powerful disincentives against the evidence-based interventions most likely to improve health and control costs: universal, prevention-centered care delivered where people live, work, and gather. More

Publication

Revitalizing Primary Care: Health Plan of San Mateo’s Investment Strategy

April 2026
Miriam Sheinbein, Chris Esguerra, Colleen Murphey, Luarnie Bermudo and Mat Thomas
Health systems that invest in primary care have better and more equitable health outcomes. Yet primary care faces a crisis (characterized by chronic underinvestment and significant workforce shortages), and that crisis has led to pervasive clinician burnout and reduced access to vital care, especially for populations who have a low income, are elderly, and identify as minorities. More

Publication

A Roadmap for Building and Implementing a Comprehensive State Graduate Medical Education Strategy: Actionable Steps to Align Investments with Workforce Needs

April 2026
Lori Rodefeld, Emily M. Hawes, Raquel Davis, Shelby Rimmler-Cohen, Heidi B. Miller, Mary Alice Scott, Mukesh Adhikari and Erin Fraher
This evidence-based framework organizes a GME growth strategy into five iterative stages: exploration, strategy development, strategy design, technical assistance, and optimization. More

Blog Post

A Framework for Evaluating Primary Care Investment

March 2026
Kevin Grumbach, Deborah J. Cohen, Stephanie B. Gold, Rebecca S. Etz, Lauren S. Hughes , Robert L. Phillips, Andrew Bazemore, Elisabeth Wilson and Russell S. Phillips
Despite a robust body of evidence demonstrating that strong primary care is foundational to a high-performing health system associated with improved population health, greater equity, and lower overall costs, primary care in the US suffers chronic underinvestment. The United States currently spends only 4 to 5 cents on primary care for every dollar spent on […] More