WHAT:
The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), held a hearing continuing its review of the implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
WHY:
“Since MIPS is set to go into full effect on Jan. 1, 2019 - the first payment consequence year from reporting provided in 2017 - it is critical that we hold this hearing and assess what is working, how the transition is progressing, and where improvements have been made, while seeking ways to simultaneously encourage stronger participation and reward providers already invested in the MIPS track," said #SubHealth Chairman Burgess.
WHO:
* David Barbe, Immediate Past President, American Medical Association (Opening Statement )
* Frank Opelka, Medical Director of Quality and Health Policy, American College of Surgeons (Opening Statement )
* Parag Parekh, Chair, Government Relations Committee, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (Opening Statement )
* Ashok Rai, Chairman of the Board, American Medical Group Association (Opening Statement )
* Kurt Ransohoff, Chairman of the Board, America’s Physicians Groups (Opening Statement )
KEY MOMENTS:
“The AMA strongly supports the changes to MACRA in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA18). We believe these technical changes to the statute will help simplify and improve the MIPS program," said Dr. Barbe. “…We also appreciate the flexibility given to CMS to reweight the Cost performance category to not less than ten percent for the third, fourth, and fifth years of MIPS. We agree that, while development of resource use measures is an ongoing effort, more time is needed to test them and make any necessary changes."
Dr. Rai spoke about benefits of transitioning to MIPS, testifying, “If Medicare providers are going to successfully transition to value-based arrangements, more of them should be subject to MIPS. I realize that some providers may lack the resources to participate in these programs, but as mentioned above, this transition has been a work in progress for years. In addition, CMS provides technical support and favorable scoring for some providers. Our patient population deserves a provider workforce that is willing and capable of providing the best level of care possible. These MIPS exclusions do not prepare practices of any size to transition to a post fee-for-service payment environment and unfairly penalize those who have worked in good faith to make that transition."
#SubHealth Vice Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) asked all five witnesses what they would say to future MIPS participants to set them up for success.
RESOURCES:
Today’s hearing was the fourth bipartisan oversight hearing on the implementation of MACRA, and builds off of a November 2017 hearing where #SubHealth received a check-up on Alternative Payment Models (APMs), including those that are qualified under MACRA.
The Majority Memorandum, witness testimony, and an archived webcast are available online HERE.
