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MACRA’S QUALITY PAYMENT PROGRAM HAS GONE LIVE – ACTION REQUIRED IN 2017 TO AVOID PART B PAYMENT REDUCTIONS IN 2019 – QPP BASICS TO KNOW IN GETTING STARTED

A new Congress has convened, a new administration is at the helm, and repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is on the docket, an action of consequence for, among other things, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), primary care medical homes, and other Medicare-developed alternative payment models (APMs). On the other hand, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), establishing a Medicare Part B Quality Payment Program (QPP), is bipartisan legislation of little debate. The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and over 100 other health care entities have appealed to the Administration to preserve value-based care.  https://www.premierinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Jan-25-letter1-24-17-Administration.pdf. So, even in the midst of ACA uncertainty, MACRA and its QPP are moving forward. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), by rule, has developed a QPP structure that went live on January 1, 2017.Continue Reading MACRA’s Quality Payment Program Has Gone Live

Medicare/Medicaid Reform and ACA Repeal on the Horizon, MACRA Moves Forward for Now

The new administration’s agenda for health care may have come into clearer focus with President-Elect Donald Trump’s nomination of House Representative Tom Price, MD, a Republican from Georgia, as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Seema Verma, MPH, as CMS Administrator. The American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement of strong support for Congressman Price, encouraging a swift confirmation vote. “Dr. Price,” the AMA said, “has been a leader in the development of health policies to advance patient choice and market-based solutions as well as reduce excessive regulatory burdens that diminish time devoted to patient care and increase costs.”Continue Reading President-Elect Trump Names Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-GA) as HHS Secretary, Seema Verma, Health Care Consultant, as CMS Administrator

On October 14, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule implementing the new Quality Payment Program for physicians in lieu of the repealed sustainable growth rate factor (SGR). Rather than facing substantial annual reductions in Medicare payment fees as a result of the SGR, physicians now have two interrelated pathways to earn quality-based, cost efficient incentive payments under Medicare:  the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs). MIPS consolidates three existing quality-based incentives programs – the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program – while maintaining an ongoing focus on achieving quality and cost efficiencies through use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT).
Continue Reading CMS publishes Final MACRA Rule for MIPS and APM Incentives

CMS proposed rule details Medicare’s new physician “Quality Payment Program”

Reporting under new measures slated to begin in 2017

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for Medicare payment to physicians, released a proposed rule on April 27, 2016, setting forth key provisions of its Quality Payment Program for physicians, implementing key provisions in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). MACRA repealed the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for annually adjusting Medicare payment to the nation’s physicians, replacing the SGR with a value-based payment system to be developed by CMS consistent with MACRA’s directives. The proposed rule has been published in the May 9, 2016 Federal Register. Comments are due by June 27, 2016.Continue Reading MACRA on the Move!

US Supreme Court Upholds ACA Tax Credits for All Qualified Individuals Purchasing Health Insurance Through a Marketplace Exchanges

In King v. Burwell, the Court’s 6-justice majority concludes that denying ACA tax credits to individuals on federally-facilitated State exchanges is contrary to what Congress intended.

King v. Burwell, U.S. Supreme Court No. 14-114, decided…

The Senate passed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), on a vote of 92-8. Iowa’s Senators Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley voted in favor of the bill. The Senate considered amendments to the bill as passed by the House, but none were adopted. The H.R. 2 now goes to the President…

BIPARTISAN HOUSE VOTE TO REPEAL THE SGR – 0.5% PHYSICIAN INCREASE EACH YEAR THROUGH 2019 — EXTENSION OF THE 1.0 WORK GPCI FLOOR THROUGH 2017 – NO ICD-10 DELAY

Senate to Vote When It Returns – CMS Issues Payment Advisory

The House of Representatives took what the House of Medicine rightfully can call a historic…

.05% PHYSICIAN INCREASE EACH YEAR THROUGH 2019

EXTENSION OF THE 1.0 WORK GPCI FLOOR THROUGH 2017

NO ICD-10 DELAY
Senate to Vote When It Returns – CMS Issues Payment Advisory

The House of Representatives took what the House of Medicine rightfully can call a historic vote late in the evening of March 26 to really,…

MONOPSONY AS A VIABLE THEORY, BUT REQUIRING THE RIGHT FACTS

Mueller v. Wellmark, Inc., Iowa Supreme Court No. 13-1872 (filed February 27, 2015)

Physicians long have been in tough negotiation positions with large, often dominant commercial health insurers. In its 13th edition report, “Competition in Health Insurance – A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets,” the…