CMS Announces New Name for EHR Initiatives: Promoting Interoperability Programs

CMS Changes Name of the EHR Incentive Programs and Advancing Care Information to “Promoting Interoperability”

To continue our commitment to promoting and prioritizing interoperability of health care data, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is overhauling and streamlining the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs for hospitals as well as for the Advancing Care Information performance category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which is one track of the Quality Payment Program. This change will move the programs beyond the existing requirements of meaningful use to a new phase of EHR measurement with an increased focus on interoperability and improving patient access to health information.

To better reflect this focus, effective immediately CMS is renaming:

The EHR Incentive Programs to the Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs for eligible hospitals, CAHs, and Medicaid providers
The MIPS Advancing Care Information performance category to the Promoting Interoperability performance category for MIPS eligible clinicians

Please note that this rebranding does not merge or combine the EHR Incentive Programs and MIPS. In the coming weeks, CMS will be updating its websites and educational resources to reflect this change.

New 2018 MIPS Group Participation Resources Are Now Available

CMS has posted the following new resources to help groups successfully participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS):

2018 CAHPS for MIPS Conditionally Approved Survey Vendor List: Includes the list of vendors that CMS has conditionally approved to administer the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) for MIPS Survey for 2018.

2018 Registration Guide for the CMS Web Interface and CAHPS for MIPS Survey:Offers step-by-step instructions for how a group can register to participate in MIPS using the CMS Web Interface and/or administer the CAHPS for MIPS Survey for the 2018 performance period. The guide includes instructions for modifying or canceling registration for the CMS Web Interface and CAHPS for MIPS Survey.

2018 CMS Web Interface Factsheet: Provides an overview of the CMS Web Interface,a secure, internet-based data submission mechanism available to groups and virtual groups with 25 or more MIPS eligible clinicians.

2018 MIPS Group Participation Guide: Offers an overview of group participation for MIPS in 2018, including how groups are defined under MIPS, the data submission mechanisms available to groups, and how group data is scored.

For More Information

Visit qpp.cms.gov to check your participation status, explore measures, and review guidance on MIPS, APMs, what to report, and more.
Go to the Quality Payment Program Resource Library on CMS.gov to review new and existing Quality Payment Program resources.

Questions?

Contact the Quality Payment Program Service Center at QPP@cms.hhs.gov or 1-866-288-8292 (TTY: 1-877-715-6222).

Upcoming Webinar: Quality Payment Program - Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions Call - May 16

Title: Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions

Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Time: 1:30 to 3 pm ET

During this call, CMS answers frequently asked questions about the Quality Payment Program from the 2018 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS18) Annual Conference & Exhibition and inquiries received by the Quality Payment Program Service Center. Then, we open the phone lines to take your questions.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) ended the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which would have resulted in a significant cut to payment rates for clinicians participating in Medicare. MACRA requires CMS by law to implement an incentive program, referred to as the Quality Payment Program, which provides two participation tracks for clinicians:

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs)

Target Audience: Medicare Part B fee-for-service clinicians; office managers and administrators; state and national associations that represent healthcare providers; and other stakeholders.

Upcoming Webinar: APG Educational Series 2018, MIPS APMs to Advanced APMs: How to Make the Valuable Transition

This year, America’s Physician Groups (APG) is pleased to continue our webinar series with CMS for physicians and physician groups implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) through the Quality Payment Program (QPP), focusing on Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Through a co-branding agreement with CMS, the sessions will combine CMS expertise on the regulation’s content with APG's members’ knowledge of how clinicians are responding on the ground to these important changes and care models.

APG designed the series to provide physicians and physician organizations the “how-to” for APM implementation. Given America’s Physician Groups’ leadership with advanced payment models, we are well positioned to share best practices and lessons learned in this area. Each session will include Q&A time with the presenters. We hope the webinars will be a valuable resource to help you successfully participate in APMs in 2018 and beyond. Our next session in the series will focus on:

Title: MIPS APMs to Advanced APMs: How to Make the Valuable Transition

Date: April 30, 2018

Time: 9:00am -10:30am PT / 12:00pm - 1:30pm ET

Register: http://eventcenter.commpartners.com/se/Rd/Rg.aspx?516875

Subject matter experts from CMS will review the MIPS APM model and requirements for qualifying to become an advanced APM. Additionally, CMS will answer specific audience questions on the final rule for 2018 and provide information and resources relevant to the transition from MIPS APM to advanced APMs.

APG will have its members cover key implementation steps for physicians and physician organizations in making the decision to transition. Our members will offer their strategies behind how they made the transition for their organization and share any challenges/pitfalls and tips as well. Further, they will be able to answer audience questions about their specific presentations.

Speakers:

CMS Speakers:

Corey Henderson, DrPH, MPA, Stakeholder Engagement and Policy Division, CMS Innovation Center
Adam Conway, MPH, Alternative Payment Model Infrastructure Division, CMS Innovation Center

APG Speakers:

Dr. Sam Skootsky, Chief Medical Officer, UCLA Faculty Practice Group and Medical Group
Chantal Buchanan, Executive Director, Medicare and Medicaid ACOs, New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA)

For more information, please contact Dr. Amy Nguyen, anguyen@capg.org or 213.239.5051.