Primary Partner Care

Testimonials

The cornerstone of Primary PartnerCare® is the patient-doctor relationship. Each day we strive to make the lives of our doctors and their patients better. We thought you would like to hear from some of them.

• “Primary PartnerCare is more than an IPA or ACO. I recently lost my biller, which happens in smaller practices, and Primary PartnerCare immediately filled the gap by supplying a replacement that not only kept my billing & collections whole, but found extra monies my practice was entitled to. Julianna allowed me to focus on my patients, and avoid a potential nightmare of delayed billing and all that snowballs from there. I am grateful to Primary PartnerCare and all they do.”

  - Aretha Persaud, MD, Family Medicine

• “In this day and age of accountable care, population health and narrow networks, joining an ACO is essential. With more and more changes to the healthcare landscape, an independent physician needs a partner to succeed and grow. Primary PartnerCare is the ideal partner because I retain practice autonomy, while receiving assistance in navigating the seas of compliance and regulations all physicians face. Primary PartnerCare educates me and my staff in operations and assists with coding and quality performance. Through structured meetings physicians are brought together to discuss common concerns and we work towards common goals. The leadership is 100% Primary Care Physicians, creating a unique bond and collegiality. With Value based contracts and enhanced reimbursement, additional value has come to my practice since joining Primary PartnerCare. While we don’t know what the next direction the future of healthcare takes us, I know I’m in a better position to succeed with Primary PartnerCare working with me to help steer the course.”

  - Stephen Sisselman, DO, Family Medicine

• “Since joining Primary PartnerCare, not only has my practice benefited, but so have my patients. I appreciate the notifications that I receive from the ACO informing me that my patients are having trouble with transportation or need some additional education regarding their medication. My annual wellness visits have increased due to the timely reports I access on the ACO physician portal, and these visits allow quality time to coordinate my patients care and make a collaborative plan that addresses both their medical issues and personal values and concerns. My office manager has greatly benefited from the monthly office rep council meetings, both from the content that is shared and the transfer and sharing of knowledge with other office managers”

  - Anthony Termini, DO, Family Medicine

• “The profession of medicine as we know it is under fire with many non-physician companies and organizations trying to take over our practices and make rules about how we treat patients. Its our time as primary care physicians to ban together and work to preserve the true profession of medicine. This is why I joined Primary PartnerCare. As a collegial group of primary care physicians we are working to transform our practices for the new models of healthcare delivery. We are participating in clinical pilots and studies to affect change not only in our communities, but on a national level. We, as physicians, and our staffs meet regularly to discuss preventive measures, diagnostic testing and discussions with patients. Medicare not only reimburses us for these preventive care services, but actively encourages us to provide them. Primary PartnerCare truly cares about its physicians, staffs and patients.”

  - Peter J. Kurzweil, MD, Internal Medicine & Geriatric Medicine

• “It's hard to believe that just a couple years ago, a group of primary care physicians sat in a small room and decided that we should organize. This was the time to save private practice and let primary care lead the way! Many of us were strangers (especially since we mostly interact with specialists on a daily basis, not other primaries) but we were united in our vision as primary care physicians. Since that time, Primary PartnerCare has grown extensively, sticking true to its mission of supporting and enhancing the partnership between patients and their doctors. The comradery is back, sharing knowledge and ideas and supporting each other as we navigate the changing landscape of health care together. Primary PartnerCare allows me access to support services for my practice and patients that I could not afford as a small practice. I encourage other primaries that want to stay in private practice, and make independent private practice an option for future doctors, to join us.
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  - Ida Messana, MD, Internal Medicine & Geriatric Medicine

• “Since I have no interest in being employed by a hospital or mega group, I am very pleased with my decision to join PrimaryPartner Care because I feel I now have the best of both worlds. The PrimaryPartner Care organization works hard to continually update both myself and staff as to the changes that are occurring within Medicare, and because the ACO was designed specifically for primary care physicians, I feel I personally benefit from the resources they allocate to help us remain current with those changes. Additionally I recognize that I am in a position to feel more secure about my income by participating in an ACO because I am relieved from facing the uncertainty regarding the Medicare fee schedule that my colleagues who chose otherwise now face and recognize the important advantages going forward that this ACO provides a solo or small group physician in this rapidly changing healthcare marketplace.
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  - James A Stallone, DO, Internal Medicine

• “When colleagues ask me why I joined Primary PartnerCare, my response is easy. We are the only primary care ACO in New York. As primaries, we do the work and we should be rewarded. I also have seen other physician entities go nowhere because the focus and needs of the primaries were not aligned with what the specialists were seeking. ACOs are primary care models, and can only succeed with a strong, healthy primary care foundation partnering with their patients.”

  - William M Duke, MD, Internal Medicine & Geriatric Medicine

• “I am proud to be a founding physician and member of Primary PartnerCare ACO and highly recommend joining to any quality physician who would like to thrive in independent private practice. I am proud to say that Primary PartnerCare has delivered on our original intent to succeed in private independent practice and deliver the highest quality medical care possible. The ACO has helped us implement programs and services that have improved the health care coordination and management of our patient population while, at the same time, significantly increasing practice revenue. Additionally, the collaboration and exchange of ideas with like-minded peers who are devoted to providing the highest quality medical care adds to the satisfaction of practicing medicine. ”

  - Daniel Kassan, MD, Internal Medicine & Geriatric Medicine

• “Our ACO is very organized, and nothing is left to happenstance. Revenue and patient satisfaction have increased, while my administrative burden has decreased. I no longer have to worry about all the changes occurring in Medicare because the ACO team provides direct and concise information. I look forward to working with Primary PartnerCare for years to come.”

  - Farzin Sehati, DO, Internal Medicine

• “Since 1985, when HMOs first penetrated New York, we have heard about the changing paradigm of healthcare delivery. During this period, the corporate vegamatic has sliced and diced every insurance plan into a multitude of sizes, shapes and forms, all with the promise of better and more efficient healthcare. Yet, a quarter of a century later we have made little progress. During this period, primary care has been repeatedly extolled as the linchpin to solve the puzzle of cost containment and quality. As a reward for such efficiencies, we were lavished with lower reimbursements, increased overhead and set adrift to drown in a sea of red tape. Here in 2012, primary care has taken center stage again, but now with different nametags such as ACO's and patient centered medical homes. Unfortunately many of the organizations developing these programs are not primary care driven. The primary care physician will again be in the position of lowering costs and improving quality for another's profit. So the final question to ask yourself before you sign into any program is simple. If primary care physicians are responsible for the success of a program how are they represented throughout management and governance? I have asked myself that question, and that is why I co-founded and continue to help lead the Primary PartnerCare IPA/ACO.”

  - Robert Sarnataro, MD, Internal Medicine