Healthcare

Competition for physicians is already heated. It’s about to get scorching. Demand is on a trajectory to drastically outpace supply, with a projected shortage of up to 120,000 physicians by 2030, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

If you were an eligible clinician (EC) that submitted 2017 performance data for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) through the Quality Payment Program (QPP) website, you can review your final performance feedback, including your final score and payment adjustment information.

Wary of factors that are outside their control, almost two-thirds of healthcare leaders would rather bail out of their accountable care organizations (ACO) than make the leap to a model that includes downside risk.

The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) can be much more than a regulatory obligation for nonprofit and governmental hospitals. Done well, a CHNA can strengthen the hospital’s position as a provider of choice. It can also elevate the hospital beyond its historical role as a provider of sick care to a hub for health and wellness services in the community.

Congress should repeal MIPS and replace it with a new Voluntary Value Program (VVP), according to a report released recently by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the independent advisory agency tasked with making recommendations on Medicare policy.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA18), signed by President Trump on February 9, includes several provisions that will affect healthcare providers’ Medicare reimbursement—in both positive and negative ways.

After scaling back its two mandatory bundled payment programs last year, CMS recently signaled that the value-based payment train remains on track for the current administration.

Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A) opened to applicants on January 11. With the application deadline of March 12, 2018, just around the corner, the pressure is on to decide whether your hospital or physician group practice is going to participate.

The month of December saw additional and important communications from two watchdog groups on the subject of the Medicare and CHIP Reinvestment Act (MACRA) of 2015.

Last week, we provided a high-level overview of components that would directly affect healthcare. With the finalized tax bill passed today, we have updated those components to include results of the final bill.

From lowering corporate taxes to health insurance mandates to the impact on the middle class, there are many headlines out there related to the recently passed House and Senate tax bills.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued on November 2^nd its final rule with comment period for the MACRA Quality Payment Program (QPP) Year 2. With a continued focus on providing flexibility and reducing administrative burdens, CMS listened to stakeholders’ concerns and challenges by promising to:

The House Ways and Means Committee just released the details of their tax reform bill and will start hearings next week. The Senate Finance Committee will roll out their companion legislation in the next couple weeks.

Many of the provisions are similar to those of the joint framework released in late September. However, now we have more specifics, albeit with many gaps still remaining.

MIPS is, and always was, a short-term strategy. The MACRA architects designed the Merit-based Incentive Payment System as a stepping stone to participation in Advanced Alternative Payment Models (AAPMs), which they envisioned as the better avenue to improve population health and bring down costs.