Changes to shore up small practices under new Medicare payment system

The final rule for the new Medicare payment system is expected by November, yet the draft rule issued in April has many physicians in small or rural practices concerned that proper considerations have not been taken to set them up for success.When Congress enacted the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), it recognized the unique challenges of small and rural practices and required that special consideration be given to these practice types. But, theproposed rule provides only limited flexibility for small and rural physicians, which may jeopardize their ability to successfully participate.The infamous “table”If you are in a small or rural practice, or a health professional shortage area, by now you ’ve heard about the regulatory impact analysis table the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) included in the MACRA proposed rule. Although many observers claimed that this table showed that theMerit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) would negatively impact most physicians in solo and small practices.But, the table doesn ’t actually present a clear picture of the likely impact under MIPS for five reasons:1.   It doesn’t reflect the accommodations in the proposed rule that are intended to provide flexibility to small practices2.   It only looks at 2014 quality and resource use data and omits performance in the Advancing Care Information and Clinical Practice Improvement Activities categories3.   It includes many non-physician health prof...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news