Meaningful Use
Meaningful Use
The Medicare Meaningful Use Incentive Program
MACRA, or the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, was signed into law on April 26, 2015. This law repeals the previously used Sustainable Growth Rate formula with a new program to pay physicians based on performance. This new program, called the Quality Payment Program
offers 2 paths: MIPS
and APMs.
The MIPS program basically represents a coming together of several existing CMS quality programs: the Physician Quality Reporting System, the Value-Based Payment Modifiers and the Meaningful Use EHR Incentive Program. The Meaningful Use Incentive Program is evolving along with other programs into CMS's attempt to bring the numerous programs into one uniform clinical quality standard. Medicare EP’s will
attest to the Advancing Care Information
performance category under MIPs.
Participation Notification Letters
CMS mailed letters notifying clinicians of their MIPS participation status. A sample of the letter can be found on the Education page
of the QPP
site. This tool is another resource for clinicians to use to determine their status.
EPs New to the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2017
If you are new to Medicare in 2017, you do not participate in MIPS. You may also be exempt if you qualify for one of the special rules for certain types of clinicians, or are participating in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM). To learn more, review the MIPS Participation Fact Sheet.
EPs who do want to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for the first time in 2017 must take one of the following actions by October 1, 2017 to avoid the 2018 payment adjustment:
1) Attest to the Modified Stage 2 2017 EHR Incentive Program requirements; OR
2) Submit a one-time hardship exception application if they are transitioning to the MIPS path of the Quality Payment Program and plan to report on measures specified for the Advancing Care Information
performance category.
The one-time hardship exception application can be found here.
Returning EPs in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program
Eligible professionals who successfully demonstrated meaningful use previously for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program
can determine
whether or not they should participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) this year and where to find resources. CMS has provided a look up tool on the
Quality Payment Program
website. Information will be provided on whether or not you should participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) this year and where to find resources.
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The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
Per CMS, eligible EPs that attest directly to a state for the state’s Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will continue to attest to the measures and objectives as finalized in the 2015 EHR Incentive Programs Final Rule (80 FR 62762 through 62955).
Visit CMS's website
for more educational resources and tools.
