Key changes the new Medicare payment system needs

Physicians have submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), detailing the changes that need to be made to the draft rule for the new Medicare payment system so it works for physicians and their patients.

The AMA is urging changes across the reformed program as well as revisions that are specific to the Merit-based Incentive Performance System (MIPS) and the alternative payment model (APM) option.

Three of the overarching program recommendations call on CMS to:

Create a transitional reporting period in the first year, beginning July 1, to allow sufficient time to prepare physicians and have a successful launch of the new payment system.

Provide more flexibility for solo physicians and small group practices, such as modifying the low volume threshold, lowering reporting burdens, comparing practices to their peers, and providing education, training and technical assistance to these practices.

Provide physicians with more timely and actionable feedback in a more usable and clear format.

Changes needed to improve the MIPS

The comments outline several key recommendations regarding the MIPS, which currently is separated into four components. The comments ask CMS to:

Align the different components so the MIPS operates as a single program, rather than four separate parts.

Further simplify reporting burdens by creating more opportunities for partial credit and reducing the number of required measures.

Maintain the thresho...

Source: AMA Wire - June 27, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news