ACOsData Best PracticesRiskValue-Based Health Care
March 30, 2023

Promote ACO Success Under Value-Based Payment with These 5 Data Sources

ACOs have used "old school" data sources for many years to focus coordination of care activities. Perhaps your ACO has done the same, using reports such as admissions and ER discharges, post-acute admissions, visit history and missing labs to target patients for outreach. Similarly, your ACO might use HCCs to identify patients with higher risk factors for population health. Basic, easily found data like these sources provided a means for ACOs to launch valuable efforts in population health, when comprehensive claims and EHR data were not easily available. But as the pendulum swings toward financial Risk, your ACO needs to…
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ACOsAlternative Payment Models (APM)Future of Health CareValue-Based Health Care
October 5, 2022

Eight Key Strategies for APM Contracting Right Now

Are you considering entering into APM contracts with private payers? Bravo! Teaming with commercial health plans and employers is a strong opportunity for growing patients through APM arrangements. Expanding your APM agreements into all payment types will be essential to back the incentives you build into your workforce for performance-based pay. But those contracts must align with your APM strategies and support your goals. Our focus here is on APM contracts with health plans. Health plans may be eager to adopt these arrangements with you, if their analytics of your organization demonstrate good outcomes and reasonable costs. Population-based payments, which…
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Alternative Payment Models (APM)MACRAMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Value-Based Health Care
August 23, 2017

CMS Eliminates Episode Groups in MIPS Cost Tracking for 2018—But Providers Should Not

It’s no surprise that Cost is one of the most significant targets of Medicare Value-Based Health Care initiatives, as well as those in the private sector. So it was a real surprise last month to learn that CMS would delay weighing Cost as a component of MACRA MIPS total scoring. Equally significant is the CMS plan to scrap the ten episodic cost measures that were part of the cost calculation for provider groups in exchange for new, “to be determined” versions. Does this retreat from Cost and episodic costs calculation signal a big shift in the direction of Medicare Value-Based…
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Alternative Payment Models (APM)Clinical Data RegistryMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Qualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingValue-Based Health Care
June 28, 2017

10 Takeaways from the Proposed Rule for MIPS and APMs Year 2

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 Medicare plays these rules, top providers should maintain a strong strategic focus on Value-Based Health Care initiatives that emphasize performance improvement in cost and quality. Even as Medicare may step back from the leadership role it has taken in this arena, private insurance and employers…
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Alternative Payment Models (APM)Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Qualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingValue-Based Health Care
May 17, 2017

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 tier. That means your QCDR should be both ONC-Health IT Certified and have capabilities that go beyond quality reporting. There is a growing recognition of the unique role that clinical registries may play in improving outcomes over time, and related benefits. CMS has reinforced that…
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Future of Health CareMedical Decision-MakingPatient Empowerment
March 14, 2017

Fast Forward: Why Patients Should Own Their Medical Records

Up to now, who owns patient medical records hasn’t been a big issue. In fact, the “who owns” question has been largely confined to provider purchasing discussions regarding health care data analytics or other sharing of patient records, when providers want to assert their ownership of the data. Patients have had no voice in this conversation. Few people question the provider’s ownership of a patient’s record, which is supported by state statutes (only one state grants ownership to patients) as well as the rare case of litigation. All that changes going forward. Why? Because big revisions in health insurance will…
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MACRAMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Qualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingRegistry Science
February 7, 2017

Roji Health Intelligence’s Roji Registry Earns ONC-Health IT Certification from Drummond Group LLC

Roji Health Intelligence has reached another milestone, enhancing Solutions to help providers achieve better outcomes and lower costs. Roji Registry has earned Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC-Health IT) 2015 Edition Health IT Module Certification via Drummond Group LLC, an Authorized Certification Body (ACB). See details here. Why ONC-Health IT Certification is Important to Current and Future Roji Health Intelligence Clients ONC-Health IT Certification provides Roji Health Intelligence with additional capabilities for streamlining performance measurement and improvement. This is especially important for the Roji Health Intelligence Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR), which has unique advantages for…
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Future of Health CareMACRAMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Performance ImprovementPQRS ReportingQualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingValue ModifierValue-Based Health CareValue-Based Payment Modifier
August 2, 2016

Use PQRS 2016 Reporting to Prepare for MACRA MIPS

In the last year of PQRS reporting, you may be tempted to take it easy and complete the bare minimum of reporting requirements. But don’t stick your head in the sand. First, PQRS and Value Modifier (VM) penalties are still alive and strong in 2016 and will affect your revenues in 2018. Second, if you’ve only been meeting reporting requirements and have yet to evaluate your performance, you stand to lose more under the tougher requirements of MACRA MIPS next year. We cannot stress this enough: 2016 should be the year to seriously evaluate your performance and create your strategy.…
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Clinical Data RegistryMACRAMedical Decision-MakingMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)Performance ImprovementQualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingRegistry ScienceResearch
July 19, 2016

MACRA Match-up: How EHR Source Data Will Benefit Registry Research

At the core of MACRA and MIPS requirements, Electronic Health Record (EHR) source data will soon become a key component for Registry research. Specifically, Clinical Performance Improvement Activities (CPIAs) are a required component of MIPS. Performance improvement efforts will no longer be optional. Quality data will be essential. EHRs present an excellent data resource, but the data is not flawless. Registries are well suited for validating data and assessing performance using a continuous improvement model—testing an idea by changing a practice and measuring its impact. When done on a small scale, testing performance improvement activities and the feasibility of population-based…
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Alternative Payment Models (APM)MACRAMeaningful UseMerit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)PQRS ReportingQualified Clinical Data Registry ReportingValue ModifierValue-Based Health CareValue-Based Payment Modifier
June 21, 2016

MACRA Medicare: Customize MIPS Strategy to Your Practice’s Attributes

Under MACRA Medicare’s Proposed Rules, CMS anticipates that as many as 90 percent of providers will be part of MIPS’s first year, beginning January 1, 2017. That includes providers in ACOs that don’t bear enough risk for exemption, providers who reported PQRS and Meaningful Use, as well as those who did nothing, “waiting out” Medicare’s plans. Not only is the wait over, but only about half a year remains until MIPS begins. And the challenges won’t fall evenly across provider groups. Size, specialty and support will weigh heavily into MIPS success. A customized MIPS strategy is your key to avoiding the…
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