Primaris was founded in 1983 by the Missouri State Medical Association, Missouri Hospital Association and Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. The company was originally named the Missouri Patient Care Review Foundation. The company later changed its name to the Missouri Patient Review Organization or MissouriPRO to reflect name changes in its federal contract with CMS. After the CMS contract changed names again, the nonprofit switched its name to Primaris. This generic name was selected intentionally to avoid a need for future changes should the federal contract be renamed.
