Fall is right around the corner. Crazy, isn’t it? This year has practically flown by.
So as 2017 is starting to wind down, are you any more familiar with MACRA, QPP, MIPS, and APMs than you were in January? (If you had to look up those acronyms, the answer’s no.)
Well, hopefully you’ve learned something because your performance this year on various quality, cost, technology use, and practice improvement measures will determine whether you receive cuts, bonuses, or neither in your 2019 Medicare payments. (You might want to start right now with TMA’s easy steps you can take now to avoid the 4-percent Medicare payment penalty in 2019.)
So no matter how much you know about the Quality Payment Program (that’s that QPP I mentioned earlier), you know that it’s always good to know more, you know?
But how? Where can one get help?
Turns out there are a ton of ways to master MACRA, to get hip to MIPS, and to become an SME on QPP. (Insert your own clever APM joke here.)
So let’s break it down:
First of all, you should check to see whether you’re even eligible for or exempt from the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers this handy online tool to determine whether you even need to worry about MIPS.
If you are eligible and you want to read a general overview from the authoritative source, check out CMS’ QPP website.
If you are looking for comprehensive education on how to navigate both MIPS and alternative payment models (APMs), the Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI) has teamed up with DC-based health care consulting firm Healthsperien on a resource center. (As a charter member, TMA feels very comfortable recommending PAI’s materials.)
Let’s suppose you want web-based education and technical assistance. Well, TMF Health Quality Institute has that and more online. Also, check out TMF’s article, “Top Resources to Help You Navigate MIPS.”
If you really need help, TMA Practice Consulting offers a MACRA Readiness Assessment, which includes:
• Customized on-site assistance,
• A review of your practice’s participation in CMS’ quality programs and your quality and resource use reports,
• An assessment of the functionality of your current electronic health record to optimize the system for meaningful reporting,
• Observations of processes and work flow to identify areas for improvement,
• Assistance with honing in on quality measures and clinical practice improvement activities, and
• Identification of billable services to help optimize revenue.
And you always can visit the TMA MACRA Resource Center, which will get you so plugged in to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act you’ll be glowing.
So now you know.