MACRA penalties can now be avoided, CMS says

Avoiding penalties under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) just got easier. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt Thursday announced that the final MACRA regulation will exempt physicians from any risk of penalties if they choose one of three distinct reporting options in 2017. In ablog post, Slavitt announced that CMS heard physicians ’ concerns about the proposed start date for performance reporting under the new Medicare payment system and that the agency will offer three reporting options for the Merit-based Incentive Performance System (MIPS)—and if you choose one for 2017, you will not receive a negative payment adjustme nt in 2019. The options will be described fully in the final rule, but here are the basics:Option one: Test the program As long as you submit some data to the Quality Payment Program, including data from after Jan. 1, you will avoid a negative payment adjustment, Slavitt said. This option is intended to ensure that the system is working and that physicians are prepared for broader participation in the coming years as they learn more.Option two: Partial-year reporting Physicians can choose to report Quality Payment Program information for a reduced number of days. Your first performance period could begin well after Jan. 1 and your practice could still qualify for an incentive payment. Slavitt offered an example. “If you submit information for part of the calendar year ...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news