Inside STAT: U.S. primary care experiment aims to spur innovation. Its impact depends on the answers to these questions

The Trump administration earlier this week unveiled the CMS Primary Cares initiative to pay doctors for providing stepped-up services, such as telemedicine, that keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. In theory, the concept is simple: Give primary care doctors money upfront to provide high-touch care to keep their patients healthy, and avoid paying the doctors to cram in so many in-person office visits that they can’t respond properly to problems. But there are still some issues — and implications — to iron out, from how the data generated from remote monitoring services will be managed to whether doctors will be on the hook for high drug costs. STAT Plus subscribers can read more from Casey Ross here.