The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the attached final rule implementing the Physician Quality Payment program as required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). In response to comments from CHA and other stakeholders, CMS has finalized a number of changes that increase flexibility for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and for qualifying for incentive payments through participation in advanced alternative payment models (APMs).
Among the changes finalized, CMS has codified its previous announcement that physicians will be able to pick their own pace under MIPS for the 2017 transition year. Specifically, CMS will allow MIPS-eligible clinicians to avoid a negative payment adjustment by submitting a minimum amount of data (for example, one quality measure or one improvement measure). CMS has also finalized an option of a continuous 90-day MIPS reporting period that would allow clinicians to receive a neutral or modest payment increase, depending on performance. Clinicians who choose to report for more than 90 days up to a full year would be eligible for moderate positive payment adjustments.
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