Medicare’s new primary-care billing code shows mixed results after its first year

Medicare added the G2211 billing line in 2024 to incentivize doctors who deliver continuous, relationship-based primary care, offering an extra $16 per qualifying visit. In its first year the code was used 26 million times, with roughly one-in-four Medicare clinicians filing it. Contrary to its design, specialists submitted the greatest proportion of these claims—about 43%—often for relatively simple conditions, while primary-care physicians made up 40% of users and reported the payment as modest.

Some patients have voiced annoyance at the additional copayment the code generates. Researchers note that the fee-for-service structure still undervalues many behind-the-scenes activities essential to high-quality primary care. New per-patient APCM codes introduced in 2025 aim to address these gaps, and Medicare is exploring further reforms for 2027. The early experience suggests that a visit-linked supplement alone may be insufficient to reshape primary-care financing.