Healthcare IT Consulting By Jill Lowe, Healthcare Account Manager

If you haven’t been on the CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) website lately, you should definitely check it out. The new and improved site is chock full of great information in an easy to navigate format while also being home to a myriad of tools that will come in handy as you start planning for how you will participate in QPP.

Tools, tools and more tools

The home page includes general Quality Payment Program information and a Check Your Participation Status lookup tool. CMS has also added a new Alternative Payment Models (APMs) page, with an overview and detailed information on the 2017 models that are Advanced APMs and how to join.

The Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) pages are a veritable fountain of information. It is well organized and provides everything needed for successful MIPS planning. ‘The Track’ (which is found in the drop-down navigation on the MIPS page) includes Overview, Individual and Group Participation and What to Report.

‘Explore Measures’ (the other item in the MIPS drop-down navigation) includes Quality Measures, Improvement Activities, And Advanced Care Information. CMS has included tools that allow you to filter Quality Measures by High Priority Measure, Data Submission Method and Specialty Measure Set, and Improvement Activities by Subcategory and Activity Weighting.

Help is on the way

CMS has also added a new Support and Available Options for Small, Underserved, and Rural Practices page. Practices with fifteen or fewer clinicians can receive free, customizable technical assistance. Preference will be given to providers located in rural areas, designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) and medically underserved areas (MUAs).

With reportedly up to $10 million available in grant monies to support MACRA implementation over the next three years, it stands to reason that there should be resources for all small practices requesting support.

There are eleven regional participating organizations/technical assistance providers. To learn more, call 866.288.8292 or email qppsurs@impaqint.com. To contact the technical assistance provider for your region directly, use the Assistance Providers search tool.

About Jill // Jill has over twenty years of experience working in the trenches of healthcare and is our clients’ fiercest advocate. She understands intimately the day to day challenges that our practices face and knows how to best advise and support them in this ever-changing, technology driven climate.