4 steps to prepare for Medicare’s new payment systems

While the details of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) regulations still are being hammered out, physicians should start preparing for the new payment systems now. Make sure you’re on track by taking four important steps. The lengthy proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlines the draft regulations the agency is considering for implementation. This is just the beginning of the official rulemaking process, but what is known for sure is that physicians will have a choice in whether to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or meet requirements for an alternative payment model (APM). Here are the steps you can take to prepare your practice for one of the two new Medicare paths: 1.  Review your quality measurement and reporting. Understanding current quality reporting requirements and how you are scoring across both the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and private payers will help your practice be better suited for the upcoming changes. You also should try to access and review your Medicare quality and resource use reports (QRUR) to see where you can make improvements related to cost ahead of time. Two particularly important components to identify as you prepare for meeting the care coordination requirements are: (1) your most costly patient population conditions and diagnoses, and (2) targeted care delivery plans for these conditions. Tip: You can access your...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news