MACRA News and Commentary

MACRAquestions-200On April 27, CMS released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Supported by a bipartisan majority and stakeholders, such as patient and medical associations, the MACRA legislation ended more than a decade of last-minute fixes and potential payment cliffs for Medicare doctors and clinicians. It also made numerous improvements to America’s health care system. Here are the facts from CMS.

Comments are due no later than 5 p.m. on June 27, 2016. You can submit or review comments on Regulations.gov. Until then, here is what is in the news along with more information and commentary on the rule.

The ABCs of MIPS
When: Thursday, June 16, 2016 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
Register for this event.

Join HITECH Answers and SA Ignite on our continuing series on MIPS. MIPS starts January 2017, which means activities during 2016 are critical to being best prepared. Learn how the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System will impact your reputation as well as your bottom line.

And download our newest white paper from SA Ignite with 12 frequently asked questions about the proposed rule.

In response to a request for information on assessing interoperability under MACRA

Comments for this additional Request for Information (RFI) closed on June 3rd. Here were some responses.

AMA and Other Medical Societies Call for a Change in Interoperability Measurements
The American Medical Association and 36 specialty medical associations urged the Administration to rethink the way it measures the interoperability of electronic health records. The coalition of physician and medical organizations believes the current direction will require physicians to spend too much time meeting measures that will do little to make electronic health records valuable to patients and medical practices. The letters were delivered to Andrew Slavitt, the acting administrator for CMS, and Karen DeSalvo, the national coordinator for ONC.

HIMSS and PCHA submit comments to Assessing Interoperability RFI
HIMSS and PCHA appreciate the opportunity to leverage their member’s expertise as this information gathering that ONC has undertaken which will provide a great foundation for the continued shift in our healthcare system where value is rewarded over the volume of services that are being performed. A letter was submitted on June 3rd.

AHIMA Submits Letter Regarding Assessing Interoperability for MACRA
AHIMA is the national non-profit association of health information management (HIM) professionals. Serving 52 affiliated component state associations. “We appreciate the work ONC has done to advance nationwide exchange of electronic health information. The discussion here provides AHIMA’s responses to several of ONC’s questions.”

Consumer Partnership for eHealth Files Comments on How to Measure Interoperability in Order to Improve Value-Based Care in Response to Request for Information
Leading consumer, patient and labor advocates urge the ONC to incorporate robust measures of patient-to-provider interoperability and electronic health information exchange in payment and delivery models rolling out under MACRA. The comments, from the Consumer Partnership for eHealth (CPeH), note that patients and family caregivers are key partners in health care delivery and information sharing and use. Led by the National Partnership for Women & Families, CPeH includes more than 50 top consumer, patient and labor organizations that collectively represent more than 127 million Americans.