CMS recently issued the final rule and comment period for the 2018 (year 2) Quality Payment Program. QPP Year 2 will feature many of the flexibilities as the transition year, including:
- Going slow while preparing clinicians for full implementation in year 3.
- Providing additional flexibility to reduce clinician burden.
- Offering new participation incentives.
Telligen & Best Practices Academy will continue providing free, hands-on technical assistance to QPP-participating clinicians & groups.
Patients Over Paperwork Initiative
CMS launched a new initiative for evaluating and streamlining regulations with goals to reduce unnecessary burden, increase efficiencies, and improve the beneficiary experience. To further this initiative, the year 2 final rule features the following:
- Excludes individual MIPS eligible clinicians or groups with less than or equal to $90,000 in Part B allowed charges; or less than or equal to 200 Part B beneficiaries.
- Addresses extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, such as hurricanes and other natural disasters, for both the transition year and the 2018 MIPS performance period.
- Includes a virtual group participation option.
- Makes it easier for clinicians to qualify for incentive payments by participating in Advanced APMs that begin or end mid-year.
MIPS Highlights
- Maintains many of the transition year policies with some minor changes.
- Provides more options for small practices (15 or fewer clinicians).
- Continues gradual implementation approach to prepare clinicians for full implementation in year 3.
- Includes policies for addressing extreme and uncontrollable circumstances for both the transition year and 2018 MIPS performance year.
- Implements provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act, some of which will apply to the MIPS transition year.
- Introduces the Virtual Groups participation option
For More Information
See CMS’ QPP Year 2 Fact Sheet for full details, including APM participation highlights and directions for submitting comments to CMS.
This material was prepared by Telligen QPP-SURS Resource Center, the Quality Payment Program for Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. HHSM-500-2017-00012C.
Best Practices Academy is a partner with Telligen tasked specifically to work with the doctors of chiropractic clinicians to understand and be successful in participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) track of QPP, through Medicare’s QPP-SURS Program.