Local/N.J. Doctor a Role Model at National Medicare Meeting

March Feingold, MD

Dr. Marc Feingold demonstrates how primary-care providers can achieve better patient health, lower costs through new Medicare payment models

A New Jersey/Manalapan doctor was invited to share his exceptional patient results and advanced methods at a national Medicare meeting in Baltimore.

Marc Feingold, MD, has significantly improved his patients’ health through Medicare’s CPC+ program, which rewards physicians for keeping patients healthy and lowering overall costs of care. Dr. Feingold spoke at the National CPC+ Meeting last week. (CPC+ stands for Comprehensive Primary-Care Plus.)

The primary-care doctor has a practice in Manalapan and he’s the first medical director for a new Marlton-based provider group — Consensus Health.

“Dr. Feingold is a national role model for how primary-care providers can help both their patients and their practice thrive,” said Nadia Adams, senior vice president of care innovation for Consensus Health’s management services organization. “In today’s health care environment, doctors must participate in these new payment models in order to succeed and sustain their practice.”

For example, Dr. Feingold achieved the following results between 2016 and 2018:

  • Reduced hospitalizations by 26% for his Medicare patient population.
  • Reduced emergency-room visits by 32% for that group.
  • Increased his patients’ pneumonia vaccine rate by 79% for his eligible patient population.

One key to his success is his focus on preventive care, said Dr. Feingold.

“It’s easier to keep patients from getting sick than to treat them after a problem arises. It just takes a shift in focus and the right supports,” he explained. “Medicare programs like CPC+ are designed to reward doctors for the good work we’re already doing, and support us in keeping patients healthy.” (This includes the coming Primary Care First model, launching next year.)

During the national Medicare meeting, Dr. Feingold spoke about how he co-manages patients with behavioral health issues – which are increasingly recognized for their profound impact on overall health and healthcare costs.

“Depression and anxiety affect a huge proportion of Americans,” he noted. “It’s important that we treat behavioral health because it makes everything worse or better. Primary care providers have an exceptional opportunity to do this because we know our patients so well.”

Thinking outside the box, Dr. Feingold partners with behavioral health professionals, including a 24/7 behavioral-health service. This focus is paying off for his patients:

  • 89% of those screened for depression showed improvement between the first and most recent screening
  • These patients had a 60% average reduction in their depression scores.
  • Overall medical cost savings for these patients was over 30%.

Dr. Feingold also does other things differently than the typical primary-care practice. He spends extra time with patients based on their needs. He provides proactive care to treat the whole person – not just the medical issue at hand. And he conducts close follow-up to ensure ongoing progress.

Such measures can help address the burgeoning problems of physician burnout and the shortage of primary-care doctors – which both have dire implications for Americans’ health.

Dr. Feingold also recently joined Consensus Health – as both a member practice and a medical director – to further his efforts. This multispecialty N.J. medical group supports independent physicians in transforming their practices to achieve outstanding patient results, high payment levels, and a team approach that reduces physician stress.

“Consensus will help me build out my model of care and enable other practices to do the same things we’re doing,” he noted. “I can help more patients this way, both directory and indirectly.”

Said Dr. Feingold: “Our approach to primary care makes patients happier and healthier, makes doctors happier, and is key to lowering health care costs in general.”

To learn more about Dr. Feingold or Consensus Health, call (856) 762-2469. To make an appointment with Dr. Feingold, call 732-536-8008.