Menu
Menu
As part of its ongoing work to ease physician anesthesiologist participation in the new MACRA program, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) submitted a series of recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The recommendations were offered in response to specific policies and issues with the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APM) incentives within MACRA’s Quality Payment Program (QPP).
In its recommendations to CMS, ASA addressed the following issues:
• Expanding MIPS-related accommodations for Hospital-based Eligible Clinicians
• Reweighting the MIPS components in a fair and appropriate way for those eligible clinicians who do not report Advancing Care Information (ACI)
• Requesting CMS clarify position that Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) are included in the definition of a MIPS Eligible Clinician and that proper language be included in CMS’s educational information
• Ensuring CMS fairly and accurately assess physician anesthesiologists who may report fewer than six measure from the Anesthesiologist Specialty Measure Set.
Most ASA members will initially participate in the MACRA QPP via MIPS. The 2019 payment adjustment will be based on a performance period that starts on January 1, 2017. As a reminder, ASA members can avoid a negative adjustment by reporting one quality measure or attesting to one improvement activity or reporting on the required ACI measures. Reporting more than those minimums in 2017 will provide opportunity to earn positive payment adjustments in 2019.
Read ASA’s full comment letter.
Find out more about MACRA.
