CMS Finalizes Quality Payment Program Rule for Year 2 to Increase Flexibility and Reduce Burdens

CMS issued the final rule with comment for the second year of the Quality Payment Program (calendar year 2018), CMS listened to feedback from the health care community and used it to inform policy making. As a result, the Year 2 final rule continues many of the flexibilities included in the transition year, while also preparing clinicians for a more robust program in Year 3. CMS finalized policies for Year 2 of the Quality Payment Program to further reduce provider burden and give more ways to participate successfully. CMS is adding more options for small practices. CMS realizes it can be hard for small practices to participate in the Quality Payment Program, so they’re continuing to offer tailored flexibilities for groups of 15 or fewer clinicians including: Excluding 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, Adding 5 bonus points to the final scores of small practices, Giving solo practitioners and small practices the choice to form or join a Virtual Group to participate with other practices. Continuing to award small practices 3 points for measures in the Quality performance category that don’t meet data completeness requirements and Adding a new hardship exception for the Advancing Care Information performance category for small practices.

Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/11/16/2017-24067/medicare-program-cy-2018-updates-to-the-quality-payment-program-and-quality-payment-program-extreme