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At the Forefront of Healthcare Transformation!
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Your Input Needed on Provider Support Survey
ILHITREC offers healthcare providers technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support the achievement of Meaningful Use and quality improvement. Your feedback on our
Provider Support Survey
by Nov. 30, 2017, will be instrumental in shaping the current and future education, training, technology, and service needs of Illinois clinics, practices, and physicians. Please take 5 minutes to let us know how we can support your education, training and technical assistance needs. Access the
Provider Survey
here. Please complete and submit the survey by Nov. 30, 2017. Thank you for your participation and feedback!
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Medicare finalizes 2018 payment
and quality reporting changes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two final rules impacting Medicare physician payment policies and quality reporting requirements beginning Jan. 1, 2018. First, CMS finalized modifications to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and alternative payment models (APMs) participation options and requirements for 2018. CMS estimates the vast majority of eligible clinicians and groups will participate in MIPS, making it the default track again in 2018.
The final rule changes MIPS in the following ways:
- Quadruples the reporting period for the quality component of MIPS from 90 days to one calendar year;
- Delays the mandate to move to 2015 Edition Certified EHR Technology;
- Increases the low-volume threshold exclusion to $90,000 in Medicare Part B allowed charges or 200 Medicare Part B patients;
- Counts the criticized cost component as 10% of the MIPS final score;
- Provides additional flexibility for small group practices; and
- Offers a virtual group option for solo practitioner and small practices to aggregate their data for shared MIPS evaluation.
Additionally, CMS released the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule. Among other changes, the final rule:
- Sets the CY 2018 PFS conversion factor at $35.9996 and the CY 2018 national average anesthesia conversion factor at $22.1887, both of which reflect a modest payment increase under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
- Delays mandatory appropriate use criteria consultation until Jan. 1, 2020;
- Retroactively lowers PQRS reporting requirements to six measures;
- Reduces Value-Based Payment Modifier penalties and holds groups harmless if they met minimum quality reporting requirements; and
- Establishes the new Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, which begins April 1.
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Important Deadlines Apply to Objective 10:
Specialized Registry Reporting
CMS has released important information with regard to MU Objective 10 pertaining to Public Health Reporting in Stage 2. Providers using the last 90 days to report who are not excluded from the objective somehow, must register by Nov. 30, or they will not meet the deadline that applies to them.
It is important providers register to submit data. Eligible Providers (EPs) must actively engage with two public health registries within the first 60 days of their MU reporting period. EPs may apply for state registries at murs.illinois.gov.
Active Engagement Option 1 - Completed Registration to Submit Data:
- The EP registered to submit data with the PHA or, where applicable, the CDR to which the information is being submitted;
- Registration was completed within 60 days after the start of the EHR reporting period;
- And, the EP is awaiting an invitation from the PHA or CDR to begin testing and validation.
This option allows providers to meet the measure when the PHA or the CDR has limited resources to initiate the testing and validation process. Providers that have registered in previous years do not need to submit an additional registration to meet this requirement for each EHR reporting period.
ILHITREC's Clinical Informatics Specialists are trained to assist you with any questions or concerns related to the EHR Incentive Programs. Contact us at [email protected] or visit ILHITREC.org for complete details on the wide variety of services provided by ILHITREC.
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Corrected ACI Table in 2017 CMS
QRDA III Implementation Guide Available
- Measure Objective: Health Information Exchange
- Measure Identifier: ACI_LVITC_1
- Measure: *Proposed Request/Accept Summary of Care Exclusion
- Reporting Metric: Yes/No
Additional QRDA-Related Resources
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Eligible Hospitals and CAHs: Meaningful Use
Attestation System is Moving in 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is continuing to take steps to make attestation simpler for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program.
What is changing?
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Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Runs Through 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs) that the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, which is administered voluntarily by states and territories, will continue through 2021. Read the full story here.
To participate in the program in 2017, EPs and EHs must attest to:
ILHITREC's Clinical Informatics Specialists are trained to assist you with any questions or concerns related to the EHR Incentive Programs. Contact us at [email protected] or visit ILHITREC.org for complete details on the wide variety of services provided by ILHITREC.
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IMPORTANT
DEADLINE:
The 2016 Hardship
deadline
for Critical
Access Hospitals
is Nov. 30, 2017.
To avoid Payment
Adjustments in 2019,
CAHs must su
bmit a
hardship application
for the 2016
payment adjustment
based on the 2016 EHR
reporting period
by 11/30/17.
_______________
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ABOUT SUPPORT PROVIDED BY ILHITREC:
The Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (ILHITREC), under contract with the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS), is providing education, outreach, EHR, and Meaningful Use support to Medicaid providers for the Electronic Health Record Medical Incentive Payment Program (eMIPP). Contact us at [email protected]; Phone
: 815-753-5900; Fax: 815-753-7278.
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