CMS released the highly anticipated QPP Year 2 Final Rule late last week. The 1600 page document builds off the 2015 MACRA legislation and provides flexibility and clarification of the Quality Payment Programs and MIPS. Please join us at the Kentucky Regional Extension Center on November 16th at 11 am for a live webinar where we will highlight the changes for 2018 to the Quality Payment Program made in the Year 2 Final Rule.

Register here for Kentucky REC’s QPP Year 2 Final Rule Webinar Thursday Nov 16, 2017 11am-12 pm Password: MACRA

Provided below is a summary of a few of the changes as well as links to additional information. We will have a more complete review of the changes during our webinar next week.

Some changes of the 2018 Quality Payment Program Final Rule:

• Low volume threshold finalized at ≤$90,000 in Part B allowed charges or ≤200 Part B beneficiaries
• New performance threshold is set at 15 points, up from 3 points in 2017
• Cost performance category will remain 10% of final score in 2018 and will be calculated based on two measures: Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary and Total Per Capita Cost
• Quality performance category will require 12 months of reporting for 2018
• To receive full credit using patient-centered medical home recognition/certification for the Improvement Activities performance category, organizations must have 50% of practice sites within a TIN recognized/certified
• New bonus points are available for showing improvement in the Quality category year over year, demonstrating care for complex patients and being a clinician or group with 15 or fewer clinicians
• Use of either 2014 or 2015 Certified EHR Technology for 2018 is allowed; a new 10% bonus is available in the Advancing Care Information (ACI) category if you only use 2015 Edition CEHRT all year

Additional information on the MACRA/ Quality Payment Program Final Rule:The Quality Payment Program final rule with comment period (CMS-5522-FC and CMS-5522-IFC) can be downloaded from the Federal Register here.

A Fact Sheet on the Quality Payment Program final rule with comment period is available here.

Contact the experts at Kentucky REC for all your QPP and MIPS questions. We’re here to help. Call us at 859-323-3090