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CMS May Delay MACRA

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By Jose Lopez, Senior Consultant, The Verden Group

In our most recent issue of ViewPoint Magazine, we provided some tips on how to prepare for the reporting requirements and shift to quality payment models under the proposed Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). MACRA was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2017. However, after feedback and pressure from most of the professional medical societies and specialty membership organizations, Andy Slavitt, the Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), recently indicated MACRA could be delayed from the proposed January 1 start date.

The final rule for MACRA is not expected to be released until November 1, 2016, only two months prior to the current proposed effective date of January 1, 2017. This would put unbelievable pressure on providers, particularly those in small practices, to scramble to meet the requirements of MACRA in a very short period of time. The Verden Group encourages CMS to delay implementation of MACRA, and for practices to fully understand, prepare for, and implement changes in their workflows to demonstrate the cost effectiveness and high quality of care they provide to their patients.

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MACRA, MIPS, and APMs — Are You Ready?

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Pearl | July 06, 2016 | Healthcare Reform, Payers, Pearls, Physician Compensation, Physician Compensation Survey
By 

Originally published at: www.physicianspractice.com

With the passage of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), CMS has proposed a Quality Measure Development Plan that will combine all of the existing quality reporting programs into one new system. To report quality measures, providers will participate in either the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and/or Alternative Payment Models (APMs).

First, do you qualify?

If you have $10,000 or less in Medicare chargesand 100 or fewer Medicare patients annually, then you are exempt from MIPS participation. Otherwise, you need to participate in a MIPS or APM model.

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