Ten health care clinics in Northern Colorado have been selected for participation in Medicare's new cost-control and care initiative.

Nine Banner Health clinics and one University of Colorado Health clinic were chosen.

Colorado Health Medical Group's Internal Medicine clinic was selected, listed as Poudre Valley Medical Group Internal Medicine.

Seven of the Banner clinics specialize in family medicine, while the remaining two specialize in internal medicine. The involved clinics are located in Greeley, Eaton, Johnstown, Loveland, Fort Collins and Berthoud.

The clinics join some 500 primary care practices across the country — representing more than 2,000 physicians and nurses — including Associates in Family Medicine, an independent doctor group with offices in Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor.

Medicare's Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, created under the national Affordable Care Act, encourages greater collaboration between providers, patients and public and private health care insurers.

In Colorado, those insurance groups participating are: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Colorado Access, Colorado Choice Health Plans, Humana, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Teamsters Multi-Employer Taft-Hartley Funds and United Healthcare.

As part of the program, Medicare will offer bonus payments to primary-care doctors who meet or exceed the initiative's benchmarks.

The program is expected to usher in wider use of electronic health records; better coordination of care with the various doctors who care for the same patient; more active participation by patients in managing their own care, and enhanced care for patients with multiple chronic diseases.

Two models will be tested during the four years of the program.

The first is a "service delivery" model, which will test how well comprehensive primary care is delivered, an area that includes care for chronic conditions and preventative care.

The second model is the payment model, which includes a monthly care management fee paid to the selected primary care facilities, with the potential to share in any savings to Medicare.