Advanced APM Participation Almost Doubled From 2017 to 2018

Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) participation in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018, increasing from 99,076 to 183,306 clinicians.

Participation in APMs through QPP’s other track – the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) – also grew in 2018, increasing from 341,200 eligible clinicians in 2017 to 356,828 in 2018, the federal agency reported.

CMS reported that 98 percent of eligible clinicians participated in MIPS in 2018, up from 95 percent in 2017. However, the actual number of eligible clinicians participating in the program fell because of flexibilities granted to clinicians by CMS. Overall, 916,058 clinicians received a MIPS payment adjustment in 2018, which is down from over 1 million clinicians in 2017.

Additionally, the number of clinicians in small practices participating in MIPS during the period also increased, rising from 81 percent in 2017 to almost 90 percent in 2018, CMS reported.

“[W]e have heard from clinicians and stakeholders that the program, specifically MIPS, remains overly complex due to the use of broad clinician flexibility,” Verma wrote. “We take this feedback to heart and will continue to leverage initiatives like Patients Over Paperwork and Meaningful Measures to address concerns and look for possible solutions.”

CMS plans to announce changes to MIPS soon, Verma added in the blog post.

Source: https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/advanced-apm-participation-almost-doubled-from-2017-to-2018