AHA comments on proposed changes to MACRA quality payment program

Commenting today on the proposed rule updating the clinician quality payment program for 2018, AHA applauded the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for responding to its long-standing request to develop a facility-based measurement option for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The association also voiced support for proposed policy changes that relieve regulatory burden and foster greater collaboration across the health care system, including the gradual, flexible increase in reporting requirements. “However, we urge CMS to better align the meaningful use requirements of electronic health records for hospitals with those of clinicians, enhance its approaches to risk adjustment, and provide additional opportunities for clinicians to earn incentives for collaborating with hospitals to enhance the quality and efficiency of care through advanced alternative payment models,” wrote Ashley Thompson, AHA senior vice president for public policy analysis and development. Mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, the QPP began this January and includes two tracks – the default MIPS, and a track for clinicians participating in certain advanced APMs.