A couple of weeks ago, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an important report that provides insight into a significant contributor of clinicians’ overall Medicare reimbursement for this year....more
As discussed in a previous alert from March 24, 2020, due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would temporarily ease quality reporting...more
CMS recently announced updates and milestones for several programs run by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). CMMI is the internal CMS agency responsible for developing and testing new health care payment...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 1, 2019, published the Calendar Year (CY) 2020 Final Rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The MPFS dictates Medicare rates and policies under Part B,...more
In this week’s episode, Steve Pine presents the last installment of our three part series addressing the CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) updates in the CY2020 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule. In this episode, Mr....more
• On July 18, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) published a proposal to implement a new mandatory Medicare payment model in select geographic...more
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the Calendar Year (CY) 2019 Final Rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), which includes provisions related to Medicare physician payments as well...more
On July 12, 2018, CMS issued proposed revisions to Year 3 of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) in the rule entitled Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2019;...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12, 2018, published the CY 2019 Proposed Rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). While in previous years regulations for the Quality Payment Program (QPP)...more
The State of Maryland is unique in its historical experimentation with rate setting and global budgets for hospitals, and that experimentation continues with the Maryland Total Cost of Care Model (TCOC). Beginning January...more
The other payer advanced alternative payment model (APM) option is intended to give eligible clinicians an additional option to meet MACRA’s escalating participation thresholds to qualify for the 5 percent advanced APM bonus....more
Most physicians have, by this point, gained some familiarity with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The name of this law has appeared frequently in commentary over the past several years, and...more
On January 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new voluntary bundled-payment demonstration program, also known as Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced. The new model will test...more
2018 marks the commencement of the second performance year for the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), implemented under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (otherwise known as MACRA). ...more
On November 2, 2017, CMS issued the final rule with comment for the second year (2018) of the Quality Payment Program as well as an interim final rule. Continuing with its theme of a CMS that is “listening to feedback,” CMS...more
On November 2, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2018 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Rule. The Final Rule contains notable changes that may affect smaller practices participating in...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued guidance intended to help clinicians eligible for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) navigate an attestation required thereunder concerning the...more
As we reported last month, CMS’ proposed rule updating MACRA’s Quality Payment Program (“QPP”) for CY 2018 would extend and expand exceptions that would allow many practitioners to avoid participating in its Merit-based...more
The Quality Payment Program (QPP) hardship exception application is now open for those providers seeking a score adjustment related to their use of electronic health records (EHR). Providers who meet certain criteria can...more
On June 20, 2017, CMS released its proposed rule updating MACRA’s Quality Payment Program (“QPP”) for CY 2018. At over 1,000 pages, the rule might not do much to simplify the already complex requirements of the QPP; however,...more
CMS recently proposed modified policies for continued implementation of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) in the 2017 Proposed Rule. Among other things, the Proposed Rule provides flexibility for clinicians in the second QPP...more
Under CMS’s new Quality Payment Program, which will adjust Medicare Part B payments starting in 2019 based on data from this year, physicians and other eligible clinicians must qualify for one of two payment “tracks”, either...more
On June 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a much anticipated rule outlining proposed payment and policy changes to the new Medicare Part B Quality Payment Program (QPP) that was created by the...more
On June 20, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-5522-P) that would make changes to the second year requirements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015...more
Payment models that seek to reward physicians, hospitals and other health care providers for achieving certain quality and cost-saving goals, or “value-based purchasing” (VBP), are not new to the healthcare landscape,...more