Mid-Week MACRA Minute - PROPOSED Changes for 2018

Helping you put the MIPS pieces together each week!

Have you seen the PROPOSED MIPS changes for 2018?

View the full PROPOSED Rule for the 2018 Performance Period at https://qpp.cms.gov/about/resource-library. The 60 day comment period on the proposed rule will end on August 21, 2017.

Below are some of the highlights from the 2018 PROPOSED rule for MIPS:

Raising the low-volume threshold to exclude individual MIPS eligible clinicians or groups who bill less than or equal to $90,000 Part B OR provide care for less than or equal to 200 Part B enrolled beneficiaries.
- No change to the type of clinicians eligible to participate.
- Exclusions will remain the same
Virtual Groups – defined as a combination of 2 or more TINs composed of a solo practitioner, or a group with 10 or fewer eligible clinicians under the TIN that elects to form a virtual group with at least one other such solo practitioner or group for a performance period for a year.
- All ECs within the same TIN must participate in the same virtual group.
- Must elect to participate in a virtual group prior to the beginning of the performance period and cannot be changed.
Cost category to remain at 0% weighted for the 2018 reporting year.
12-month calendar year PERFORMANCE PERIOD for Quality and Cost Performance Categories.
- 90 days for Advancing Care Information and Improvement Activities
- Cost category performance period will only be weighted to provide feedback to clinicians.
Raising the Performance Threshold from 3 points to 15 points for 2018.
No change in the types of submission mechanisms for each performance category in 2018.
- Will allow multiple submission methods (except CMS Web Interface) for each performance category.
MIPS Final Scoring proposed changes for 2018:
- Add 5 bonus points for small practices
- Add 1 to 3 points to the final score for caring for complex patients
- Add a 10-point bonus for those clinicians who use 2015 CEHRT
- Possible bonus for practices in rural areas

Please note that these 2018 changes are still in the PROPOSED stage and ARE NOT FINAL. The final rule will be posted after the end of the comment period for the PROPOSED rule, August 21, 2017.

For more details regarding the PROPOSED 2018 rule please visit the QPP website at https://qpp.cms.gov/ or visit the MediSYS website at www.medisysinc.com.

Question? The Quality Payment Program Service Center can be reached at 1-866-288-8292 (TTY 1-877-715- 6222), Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Eastern Time or via email at QPP@cms.hhs.gov.

Mid-Week MACRA Minute – PROPOSED Changes for 2018