The Quality Payment Program (QPP) is the new physician payment system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Because the QPP is new this year, your Academy teamed up with the American Medical Association (AMA) want to make sure physicians know what they must do to participate and understand the QPP’s “pick your pace” options for reporting. This is especially important for those physicians who have not participated in past Medicare reporting and programs, and may be less knowledgeable about the steps they can take to avoid being penalized for failing to report in 2017 under the QPP.
To help address this need, the AMA has designated the week of June 26, 2017, as “Pick Your Pace Week,” during which time the AMA will provide simple instructions on how to report “one patient, one measure, no penalty.”
An AMA video, “One patient, one measure, no penalty: How to avoid a Medicare payment penalty with basic reporting,” offers step-by-step instructions on how to report so physicians can avoid a negative 4-percent payment adjustment in 2019. On their website, ama-assn.org/qpp-reporting, there are also links to CMS’ quality measure tools and an example of a completed 1500 billing form.
While the minimum requirements to avoid a penalty in 2017 should be easy, AAPM&R still urges our members to report on everything they can in 2017. Not only could you receive a payment bonus in 2019, but you will have access to feedback reports from CMS throughout the year that will show how you would have done if this was a normal reporting year and prepare you for next year. The Academy has created many resources to help guide you through 2017 reporting, including:
You can also email us at healthpolicy@aapmr.org if you have questions.