Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule: Understanding 4 Key Topics Listening Session

Thursday, August 13 from 1:30 to 3 pm ET

Proposed changes to the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule are aimed at reducing burden, recognizing clinicians for the time they spend taking care of patients, removing unnecessary measures, and making it easier for clinicians to be on the path towards value-based care. During this listening session, CMS experts briefly cover provisions from the proposed rule and address your clarifying questions to help you formulate your written comments for formal submission:

Extending telehealth and licensing flexibilities beyond the public health emergency
Updating Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding guidance
Updating the Quality Payment Program/MIPS Value Pathways
Updating opioid use disorder/substance use disorder provisions

We encourage you to review the following materials prior to the call:

Note: Feedback received during this listening session is not a substitute for your formal comments on the rule. See the proposed rule for information on submitting these comments by October 5.

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

Physician Compare Preview Period: Informational Presentations Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted two new informational presentations focused on the Physician Compare Preview Period that began on June 22 and will close on August 20. The period gives clinicians and groups an opportunity to preview their 2018 Quality Payment Program performance information before it is publicly reported. The performance information is targeted for public reporting on Physician Compare and/or successor website during the fall of 2020. A subset of the 2018 performance information will be displayed on profile pages on the website, and all of the 2018 performance information that meets public reporting standards will be available in the Downloadable Database after the Preview Period. Clinicians and groups can access their 2018 performance information through the secured Preview tool on the Quality Payment Program website.

The pre-recorded presentations are now available on the Physician Compare Initiative page and on CMS’s YouTube channel (Part I and Part II). The first presentation provides background information about Physician Compare and what will be publicly reported, while the second presentation offers clinicians and groups detailed guidance on when and how to preview their data. Both presentations are available on demand so doctors and clinicians can access them at their convenience.

In addition to the pre-recorded presentations, CMS previously posted other informational materials on the Physician Compare Initiative page. The in-depth materials include details about the 2018 performance information for participating clinicians, groups and ACOs collected under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). If you have any questions about public reporting on Physician Compare, visit the Physician Compare Initiative page or contact us at PhysicianCompare-Helpdesk@AcumenLLC.com.

Reminder: TEP Nominations Closing 8/7 for Development of CKD and ESRD Cost Measures for Use in CMMI Model

This is a reminder that the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) nomination period for the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Cost Measures for Use in a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Model will close tomorrow, August 7, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

CMS has contracted with Acumen, LLC to seek nominations for a TEP that will provide input on the development of 1-2 cost measures for the Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Model with quality measures under the CMS Kidney Care First (KCF) Option. Acumen is looking for 12-15 individuals with experience and expertise in CKD and ESRD care, nephrology practice, and measure development to take part in the TEP. We are streamlining this process to limit demands on stakeholders’ time by meeting once via webinar in September 2020 and once in early 2021. For more information, please see the Call for TEP members posting on this CMS webpage.

Nominations can be submitted through our web-based nomination form. If you would like a 508-compliant PDF version of the nomination form for submission via email instead of the online form, please email kcf-cost-measures@acumenllc.com to receive a blank form.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this TEP.

Reminder: Register Now for the 2021 Self-Nomination Application Virtual Office Hours on August 13, 2020

Reminder: Join CMS on August 13, 2020, to learn more about the 2021 MIPS Performance Period Self-Nomination Process and QCDR Measure Submission Template

As the 2021 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Performance Period Self-Nomination period approaches, CMS will host the 2021 Self-Nomination Application Virtual Office Hours on Thursday, August 13, 2020 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET. The purpose of this session is to give attendees the opportunity to ask questions about the self-nomination forms for the 2021 MIPS performance period in the Quality Payment Program website and the QCDR measure submission template for those QCDRs submitting QCDR measures. Qualified Registries and QCDRs are CMS-approved third party intermediaries that collect clinical data on behalf of clinicians for data submission.

Please note that eligible clinicians wishing to report for the 2021 performance period of the MIPS program via the Qualified Registry or QCDR reporting mechanism do NOT need to self-nominate. Only entities who meet certain CMS requirements and wish to participate as a Qualified Registry and/or QCDR vendor need to complete the self-nomination form. Please attend the session on August 13, 2020 if your organization plans to self-nominate as a 2021 Qualified Registry or QCDR. Participation in the virtual office hours is optional.

Webinar Details

Title: 2021 Self-Nomination Application Virtual Office Hours
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2020
Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2674908787125926160
Description: During this webinar, CMS will provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions regarding the 2021 MIPS performance period self-nomination process, including the self-nomination forms in the Quality Payment Program website and the QCDR measure submission template for those QCDRs submitting QCDR measures.
Audience: Qualified Registries, QCDRs, EHR Vendors, Vendor Technology Product Leads, Regional Collaboratives, Specialty Societies, or Large Healthcare Systems

Please note the following: Space for this session is limited. CMS encourages early registration to ensure you secure a spot. If registration fills and you are unable to join, you will be able to view the webinar slide deck, recording, and transcript on the Quality Payment Program Webinar Library in the weeks following the webinar. If you have any questions, please contact CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com.

For More Information

Visit the Quality Payment Program Resource Library to learn more about the QCDR and Qualified Registry self-nomination process for vendors.