Patients First Act of 2026

The Patients First Act of 2026 modifies how Medicare reimburses physicians and primary care providers to improve access and stabilize payments. It establishes a new hybrid payment model for primary care services from 2027 to 2031, which pays a monthly fee per patient to eligible independent practices while covering specific services like care management and telehealth without cost-sharing for patients. The bill also updates the formula for calculating reimbursement rates to account for high inflation years and requires more frequent updates to the costs used in calculating payments. Additionally, the legislation reforms the performance-based payment system by adding care efficiency measures, creating a task force to recommend new quality metrics, and adjusting penalties for providers who fail to report on certain data.