The first program year of the new Quality Payment Program is almost over. As we look toward Year 2, there are a few items to make certain are on your to do list:

• According to CMS, data for Year 1 of the QPP must be submitted no later than March 31st of 2018. However, depending on your submission method(s) and/or vendor(s), you may have an even shorter timeframe.
• Documentation to support Year 1 should be finalized and saved during 2017. Think improvement activities, exclusions, special status and any reports to support what you will submit in 2018 for Program Year 2017.
• Year 2 of the Quality Payment Program kicks off January 1st 2018 for Quality and Cost. Therefore, you should aim to implement any changes to workflows and/or documentation in very early 2018 in order to maximize your efforts to improve your score.
• The eligible clinician low volume thresholds increase as of January 1st to $90,000 and 200 Medicare patients. We recommend checking eligibility early in the year so that you have a clear idea of who is required to submit for year 2 of the program.

Year 2 of the Quality Payment Program has raised the bar slightly with the minimum threshold of 15 points, increased from the Year 1 minimum of 3 points. This will require expanded participation in order to avoid the 5% penalty.

We hope that you will join us for the start of our 2018 educational series on January 11th 2018! QPP: Choosing the Best Timeframes to Maximize Your Final Score. 12 – 1 PM Eastern Time