On October 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an extension to the comment period for the Request for Information (RFI) for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
The comment period, which was originally 30 days and scheduled to close on November 2, 2015, will now close on November 17, 2015.
The RFI seeks public comment on Section 101 of MACRA, which is subject to notice and comment rulemaking. Section 101 repeals the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and implements scheduled PFS updates, including a higher update rate for “qualifying participants in Alternative Payment Models (APMs)” beginning in 2026.
Section 101 also adds the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible professionals (EPs); sunsets payment adjustments under the current Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program; and consolidates aspects of those programs into the new MIPS.
In addition, Section 101 of the MACRA promotes the development of APMs by providing incentive payments for certain EPs who participate in APMs and by encouraging the creation of additional Physician-Focused Payment Models (PFPMs).
Submit a Formal Comment by November 17
CMS encourages the public to submit comments by November 17. Comments can be submitted in several ways, including:
- Electronically via Regulations.gov
- By regular mail
- By express or overnight mail
- By hand or courier
For more information, view the complete Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 and visit the CMS website.