We are already more than halfway through the initial year of Medicare’s new Quality Payment Program, which includes MIPS and APMs. Yet already we are seeing some changes from the new administration that will relax requirements for providers, eliminating the need for some to participate and making quality reporting, in particular, easier. Regardless of how […]
The Doctor Will See You Now, But Don’t Stay Long or Ask Too Much
Something has been happening with physician medical visits. Maybe I’m just noticing it because my doctor quit and I had to find a new one, which put me on a treadmill of repeat appointments—because, as my new physician told me, she was out of time for our visit. But here’s the rub: Apart from seasonal […]
Best Practice MIPS Quality Reporting: QCDR Group with Individual Accountability
The “transition” phase of the Merit-Based Payment System (MIPS) is half over, and so, too, is the time needed to prepare for the full rollout in 2018. Yet during the 2017 MIPS “transition” year, many providers are still trying to pigeonhole MACRA’s MIPS into the previous quality program, PQRS. That choice may have worked for […]
Increase MIPS Versatility and Results with an ONC-Health IT Certified QCDR
Providers focusing on MACRA in 2017 have a menu of choices for implementation—perhaps even too many. But don’t overlook this option for meeting requirements for MIPS (or preparing for an Alternative Payment Model or APM): a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR). And make sure that your review of the QCDR option focuses on the top […]
Health Care Providers Need Performance Data Audits to Market Trust
Health care systems once thought it was crude and undignified to use marketing to attract patients. No more. Now they use qualitative anecdotes to promote status at a time when data is king and consumers view comparative quality data on the Internet. Why not use quantitative evidence? Because their data doesn’t promote their cause—and even […]
Can Value-Based Health Care Help Consumers Choose Doctors? 12 Questions to Ask
Do consumers and other health care purchasers have the ability to choose providers based on quality and cost? That’s the assumption beneath attempts by Medicare and health plans to reimburse providers based on their ability to deliver better quality while constraining costs. Value-Based Health Care also includes programs by commercial insurance to offer “narrow” provider […]
Why Bundled Payments Are a Win-Win for Specialists and Health Care Consumers
Bundled payments, a health care payment innovation that has been widely praised for controlling costs, recently got a bad rap. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price has delayed implementation of the final Medicare rule for several bundled payment programs that were set to start this year. He has criticized the bundled payments initiative […]
Can Health Care Stay the Course of Reform Amidst Uncertainty?
With the new year finally here, health care organizations need to know: How should you proceed amidst uncertainty about Medicare policy, including Value-Based and Risk programs initiated by the Obama administration? In the crosshairs are the new, complex Quality Payment Programs under MACRA, including both MIPS and Alternative Payment Models (APMs) such as ACOs. Although […]
Onward to 2017 as Roji Health Intelligence
It’s been a momentous year in health care, with significant changes on the way for 2017. “Patient Empowerment” and cost shifting to the consumer are gaining political currency in Washington. MACRA is looming on the horizon, with the coming year being the first under the Final Rule for measuring performance. Health care organizations have […]