MACRA - Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act

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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

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!

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…