We are in the home stretch with the finish line in sight. This is the end of the warm-up laps for the Maryland Primary Care Program (MDPCP). This exciting, challenging, and critically important race officially begins Jan. 1, only 62 days away.

Health care and its associated costs have been front-page items during this election season. The people are clear in their message to the soon-to-be elected officials that they want affordable, accessible, high quality health care for all. As a result, pollsters have been telling politicians that this is what matters to voters. There is hope that this season’s elections will bring about policy and regulations that answer this message.

Whatever policy and regulation directions come out of this election, they cannot take the place of the relationship and commitment we have to our patients. To maintain this relationship, and fulfill the promise of better health care for all, we must lead from the ground up. It will not be simple or easy, but we will prove that it is possible to improve quality, lower costs, and have a state with a healthier population.

This is not meant as a rallying cry. We are all too experienced and wise for that kind of rhetoric. This is simply a statement of purpose as we continue on to this accelerated phase of transforming health care in the great state of Maryland.

Howard Haft, MD, MMM, FACPE

Executive Director, Program Management Office

MDPCP Education

The PMO hosts many events to educate stakeholders about the upcoming MDPCP. Events include in-person meetings and online presentations. Slide presentations and recordings of webinars held in recent months are available on our website under Practice Education Sessions. 

Upcoming Events

Educational events being held in the upcoming weeks include:

• 2018 Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) User Conference: MDPCP Breakout Session — Wednesday, Oct. 31, 10 to 10:50 a.m.  
• MDPCP Care Transformation Requirements Overview: Planned Care for Health Outcomes Webinar — Thursday, Nov. 1, 5 to 6 p.m.  
• MDPCP Webinar: Preview of CRISP Reporting Tools — Thursday, Nov. 15, 5 to 6 p.m.  
• MDPCP Webinar: Social Determinants of Health — Thursday, Nov. 29, 5 to 6 p.m.  
• MDPCP Webinar: Progressing from Track 1 to Track 2 — Thursday, Dec. 6, 5 to 6 p.m.  

Full Calendar

Program Timeline

For a detailed overview of upcoming program milestones, please see our updated timeline.  

Upcoming Deadlines

• The Care Transformation Organization (CTO) Arrangement, which will define the relationship between practices and CTOs, will become available in early November. Fully executed arrangements are due back to the PMO at mdh.pcmodel@maryland.gov no later than Friday, Dec. 21.
• Participation Agreements (PAs) for both CTOs and practices, along with other final onboarding materials, will be distributed in early December. PAs are due back to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) by Friday, Dec. 21.