A leading cardiology organization gave mixed reviews of CMS’s final rule regarding the 2018 Quality Payment Program (QPP).
Mary Norine Walsh, MD, president of the American College of Cardiology, said it’s too early to incentivize cost of care in the second-year QPP, established as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
“Much work remains to be done to ensure these programs are implemented in a way that encourages high-quality patient care without needlessly burdening clinicians,” Walsh said in a statement.
“It is encouraging to see CMS recognize 2018 as another learning year for clinicians. However, the College is disappointed to see CMS incorporate cost into the 2018 performance year MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) score while so much is still being done to develop reliable measures in this area. We anticipate working further with CMS to ensure that the addition of this category does not negatively impact clinicians or patient care.”
Read Health Exec’s full story on the finalized rule below:
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.