Tuesday, January 10, 2017
In Practice 
Tips, Tools & Education for Improving Outpatient Care
Quality Payment Program News
HQI Can Help You Succeed With the Quality Payment Program 

















It's 2017, have you started yet? 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has changed the way it pays providers, including physicians and mid-level professionals. Starting January 1, 2017, If you treat more than 100 Medicare patients per year or bill Medicare more than $30,000 annually, you will be affected by the Quality Payment Program (QPP) and most likely subject to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). 

Good news: free help is available. Health Quality Innovators (HQI) - formerly known as VHQC - is funded by CMS to help you understand QPP requirements, make smart decisions, and use data to improve your MIPS composite score.

The Quality Payment Program consolidates CMS' multiple Medicare incentive programs - PQRS, Meaningful Use and Value Modifier - into a single, simplified program with rewards that are based on quality, rather than quantity.

Clinicians have two options for QPP participation: the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs). Most clinicians initially will participate in MIPS, and transition to advanced APM participation as more such APMs are developed.

You can avoid a 4% negative payment adjustment in 2019 by reporting on as little as one quality measure in the initial, "transitional" year that began on January 1. By choosing to do more, you can qualify for a positive payment adjustment, and by doing it exceptionally well, you can even qualify for an additional positive adjustment in each of the QPP's first six years.

Get started today on the path to QPP success. Contact HQI at 1-844-357-0589 or  for fast, friendly help.
Patient Resources
Free Infographics
Infographics have the power to take complex health information and simplify it for patients. Visit The American College of Cardiology to download free infographics for your patients.
Communicating with Your Patients about High Cholesterol
Patient education plays a critical role in assisting patients with managing and tracking their cholesterol. Check out the American Heart Association's, free Heart360 program to help your patients manage their healthy lifestyle. Some of the tools in the portal include patient grouping, direct, secure access, alerts and notifications, messaging and methods to invite patients to connect.
Provider Resources
How Patient Advisory Councils Drive Patient Experience Efforts
Patient advisory councils may be an effective strategy for health care organizations to improve the patient experience and patient-centered care. 

Learn more by viewing this article from Patient EngagementHIT.
Cultural Proficiency
Cultural proficiency is defined by the American Academy of Family Physicians as "the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that enable people to work well with, respond effectively to, and be supportive of people in cross-cultural settings."

Improve your cultural proficiency skills by watching brief video vignettes depicting physician-patient communication.
Free HQI Webinar
Implementing the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in Your Practice
Wednesday, January 18 from noon to 1 pm

Join us at noon on January 18, as HQI practice consultants discuss how to implement the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) into your practice. The webinar will provide information on how to streamline your workflow and leverage your current activities in order to be successful amidst payment reform.

Finding the Right Fit - Diabetes Self-Management Program Options for Your Practice
Tuesday, January 24 from noon - 
1 pm

Diabetes Self-Management Education ( DSME) is a recognized component of the diabetes care plan and a covered benefit of most insurance plans, but too few people with diabetes have access to or complete DSME programs. Register for this FREE program to learn more about Medicare-compliant, and other diabetes education programs, to increase your patients' diabetes self-management skills. 

Scroll down to the date and time and locate the webinar by title.
Patient Engagement: The Key to Managing Health and Wellness
Thursday, January 26 from noon to 1 pm

Join us at noon on January 26, 2017, as guest speaker Dr. Clifford Morris describes the Morris Cardiovascular and Risk Reductions Center's innovative and interactive approach to engage patients by creating individualized programs to treat cardiovascular disease and support wellness.


Non-HQI Events
Promising Interventions to Improve Safety and Reduce Opioid Adverse Events

Thursday, January 26, 2017 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Join this webinar to learn about interventions utilized by two different Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and a large payer to reduce the risks of opioid use and improve the safety of opioid prescribing. Consider what steps your organization can take to improve opioid safety or share what steps you have already taken to improve safety for your population. 

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. This activity is eligible for ACPE, ANCC, AANP, and CDR credit; see final CPE/CE activity announcement for specific details. 

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This material was prepared by Health Quality Innovators (HQI), the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization for Maryland and Virginia, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. HQI|11SOW|20170110-190934