Tag: MACRA

The 3 Policies Controlling Physician Reimbursements

The 3 Policies Controlling Physician Reimbursements

Three big CMS moves have affected physician reimbursements in the last 10 years, according to VMG Health’s 2023 mergers and acquisitions report released on March 21: Here are the three CMS policies: In April 2015, the Senate passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which permanently removed the sustainable growth rate formula under the […]
Final Rule Updates MIPS for 2021 and Beyond

Final Rule Updates MIPS for 2021 and Beyond

  CMS continues to phase in the Quality Payment Program while MACRA mandates loom. The long-awaited Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, now pending publication in the Federal Register, finalizes proposed updates to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) and its two tracks — the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternate Payment Models (APMs) — for performance […]

How Urology Coding Changed In 2020

As 2020 winds down, typically everyone from newscasters to sports reporters to anyone with a Twitter handle will write a “Year in Review” article, adding their predictions for the upcoming year. So we thought we would do the same – take a look back and also a look ahead. 2020 has been a fascinating year. […]
Clinicians Serving Socially At-Risk at a Disadvantage Under MIPS

Clinicians Serving Socially At-Risk at a Disadvantage Under MIPS

  Clinicians who served more patients with social risk factors such as low income performed worse in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System’s inaugural payment year, and therefore, received unfavorable value-based reimbursement, according to a new study. The study recently published in Health Affairs found that out of 510,020 clinicians participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in […]
Unpacking Proposed Merit-Based Incentive Payment System Changes

Unpacking Proposed Merit-Based Incentive Payment System Changes

CMS recently proposed Merit-Based Incentive Payment System changes in 2020 and beyond, including a new participation framework and higher performance thresholds. CMS is planning to overhaul reporting for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to make the pay-for-performance program less burdensome and more meaningful to providers, according a recently proposed rule. As reported last week, […]
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act

Thinking Strategically About MACRA and MIPS: Will it Be Sink or Swim in 2019?

In Part One of this two-part article exploring the implications of MACRA for healthcare providers, healthcare leaders and health IT experts discuss why it’s critical for clinicians to think strategically, rather than tactically, about MACRA compliance. Numerous industry surveys have highlighted that U.S. physicians, by and large, remain unprepared for managing and executing Medicare Access […]
Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers

The New Medicare Cards: What You Need to Know About Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs)

To protect the privacy of Medicare recipients and prevent fraudulent use of Social Security Numbers (SSN), a new, unique 11-character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) is replacing the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) for Medicare transactions such as billing, eligibility status, and claim submissions. The MBI does not change Medicare benefits. What’s Behind The Change? The […]