The proposed Quality Payment Program under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) will take effect Jan. 1, 2017, with four options likely to be offered to physicians. These options will enable them to select their level of initial participation in the program. Overviews of each level are found on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services blog.
Important to note is that physicians not able to meet the Program’s final requirements in November may elect to test the Program or participate in it for part of the calendar year in order to avoid receiving a negative payment adjustment in 2019.
This flexibility comes as a response to concerns voiced by lawmakers and prominent voices in the healthcare community who worried about MACRA’s possible effect on small and rural practices.
More Reading on MACRA participation
More details about MACRA’s upcoming compliance options are found at HealthcareITNews: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cms-chief-slavitt-macra-flexibility-coming
Also of interest: 3 Steps to Get Ready for MACRA in Medical Economics, including information on options for physicians in January 2017.
Specialdocs will continue to provide updates on the status of MACRA and further steps for compliance. In light of recent developments, what do you think about the proposed options? Share your perspective with us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. We want to hear from you!