You can now use the updated CMS MIPS Participation Lookup Tool to check on your 2018 eligibility for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).  Just enter your National Provider Identifier, or NPI, to find out whether you need to participate during the 2018 performance year.  The look up tool has been updated to address the changes to low-volume threshold for MIPS eligibility.   CRNAs in APMs should be aware that the CMS will update the Alternative Payment Model (APM) participants look up tool at a later time.  For more information about the visit the AANA Quality Reimbursement Website to learn about how CRNAs are impacted by the Quality Payment Program and MIPS today. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a webinar series with APG to assist clinician groups better understand alternative payment models under MACRA and provide some “how-to” insight into APM implementation.   Subject matter experts from CMS will review the MIPS APM model and requirements for qualifying to become an advanced APM, while APG will offer their strategies behind how they made the transition for their organization/group and share any challenges/pitfalls during implementation.  This webinar will be held on April 30, 2018 at 12:00 pm – 1:30pm ET.  Register for this CMS sponsored webinar.

SCG Health specializes in making MIPS regulatory burdens more approachable so that you can plan how to respond with limited resources and time. AANA Members that become SCG Customers will receive a 10% discount off the retail base subscription of 2018 reporting at $275 per clinician for reporting Quality and Improvement Activities, which must include three or more SCG Health QCDR measures.  The discounted base subscription include submission of quality data to SCG Health, live on-shored call center and online support, data submission, data verification and communication to CMS as required. Contact qpp@scghealth.net  for more information or visit SCGhealth.com/QPP.  Data entry support for calendar year 2018 Quality data is available for AANA members for an additional $500 per clinician (discount does not apply).

CMS Extends the MIPS 2017  Data Submission Deadline from March 31 to April 3 at 8 PM EDT

If you’re an eligible clinician participating in the Quality Payment Program and would like to attest to an improvement activity, you now have until Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 8 PM EDT to submit your 2017 MIPS performance data. This extension applies to registries as well. You can submit your 2017 performance data using the new feature on the Quality Payment Program website.

Go to qpp.cms.gov and click on “sign in” on the top right side of the web page. 

• You’ll be required to log into the Quality Payment Program data submission feature using your Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) credentials user name and password. If you don’t have an EIDM account, you’ll need to obtain one. Review this EIDM user guide and get started with the process as soon as possible. Currently, you should allow at least 5 business days for EIDM requests to be processed.
• After logging in, the feature will connect you to the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) associated with your National Provider Identifier (NPI).
• You’ll be able to report data either as an individual or as a group. Be sure to login and get familiar with the feature before you submit your data.

Please contact the Quality Payment Program by email at qpp@cms.hhs.gov or toll free at 1-866-288-8292, if you need help or have questions about using the data submission feature.  

Earn MIPS Points:  Participate in CMS MIPS Reporting Burden Study

CMS is inviting eligible clinicians to participate in a study that will examine the burden clinicians’ face when reporting MIPS Quality measures.  CMS is specifically targeting the following areas: (1) clinical workflows and data collection methods using different submission systems; (2) challenges clinicians have when they collect and report quality data; and (3) changes to try to lower clinician burden, improve quality data collection and reporting, and enhance clinical care. Successful participation in this study will result in full credit for the 2018 MIPS Improvement Activities performance category. CMS anticipates that the study will run from April 2018 to March 2019.  Applications are due March 23, 2018.

Some highly influential organizations are making proposals that could significantly alter the Merit-Based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS) Program as it is currently defined.  Recently, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that the MIPS Program be repealed because its reporting requirements are too burdensome.  Similarly, the White House’s Proposed Budget for 2019 put forward that MIPS eliminate the Advancing Care Information and Improvement Activities performance categories, leaving only the Quality and Cost performance categories.  Adding more fuel to this fire to change MIPS, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, Section 53106, recommends changing the Physician Fee Schedule update drop from 0.50 percent to 0.25 percent for CY 2019 only.  What will happen to MIPS in the future is up in the air, but the Research and Quality Division as well as Federal Government Affairs is actively monitoring all proposals that would affect the program.   As of now eligible MIPS CRNAs should stay the course and continue to participate according to the 2018 MIPS performance period requirements.  Please visit our Quality Reimursement for more information on MIPS and the Quality Payment Program.