Healthmonix Advisor

As the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) become more complex, clinicians will be looking for answers to their reporting questions. Consultants, billers, and technology vendors often face the brunt of those questions, but don’t feel best-suited to answer them. After spending most waking hours assisting with last-minute MIPS submissions last month, I wanted to disclose a few quick tips for you to share with anyone looking to report.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS

As a mental and behavioral health clinician, you might be immediately skeptical about the title of this blog. CMS has, after all, given you a free pass for two consecutive reporting years. That’s right, the government is actually giving you a break! So why should mental and behavioral health clinicians still report?

 

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS

Congrats everyone, we survived the first year of MIPS! Whether 2017 represented the first time your practice participated in value-based care initiatives—or an opportunity for your organization to continue performing at a high level in CMS programs—the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System was new for everyone. As we transition to the second year of MIPS, one of the key changes your practice will need to address is the amount of information necessary to achieve reporting success.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS

As MACRA barrels into its second full year of implementation, we’re noticing mixed reactions to the reporting process. Some practices and organizations have thrown their best efforts into reporting and earning an incentive, while others are only interested in finding the easiest way to get compliant and avoid any penalty on their Medicare Part B reimbursements.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS, RCM, VBC

On February 9th, a new Congressional spending bill was signed into law, ending our second government shutdown in less than a month. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 keeps the government funded until March 23, boosts spending on military and domestic programs for two years, extends the debt ceiling, increases aid for recent natural disasters and to fight the opioid crisis, and extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional four years (on top of the six years authorized earlier in 2018).

Topics: MACRA & MIPS, Policy

Apply to help CMS in its new study, running from April 2018 through March 2019, and make your voice heard.

CMS is looking for groups and individuals that are eligilbe for MIPS to help study the burden that the MIPS program, particularly the Quality component, place on eligible clinicians. In return, successful participants will receive full credit for the Improvement Activity component of MIPS this year (2018).

Topics: MACRA & MIPS, CMS, Quality Performance Category, Administrative Burden

In year two of MIPS and beyond, CMS is including an Improvement score for Quality and Cost measures. This week we take a deep dive into what this score entails, as well as what you need to know to keep yours ahead of the curve.

Topics: MACRA & MIPS, Policy, Quality Performance Category, Cost Performance Category

There’s no doubt that MIPS involves a learning curve. The program’s rules can be complex and can require cumbersome initial investments of time and money, leading many doctors to opt for reporting in “easy mode” during the transition years to avoid the hassle. And for 2017, easy mode is about as easy as it gets.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS

 

Yes, it may be that important. My prediction is that practices, networks, and health systems will start to pay more attention to MIPS scores during the process of hiring new clinicians. In fact, at Healthmonix we have already been asked about this several times in 2017.

But why would they care? If a clinician moves to a new practice, wouldn’t they receive the score, and adjustment, for that new practice? Unfortunately for clinicians looking to start fresh, the answer is no.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS, Physician Compare, Industry insights

Depending on your performance and your desire to maximize your reimbursement in 2019 (who doesn’t want more revenue?), there are a number of options available in final submission of your MIPS data to CMS. All of these choices can seem overwhelming, but Healthmonix is here to help! Read on to find out what choices you'll face and how to make the best ones for your practice.

Topics: PRO Tips, MACRA & MIPS, Policy