MedPAC stumps for MIPS repeal — 6 insights

The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee is arguing for a full repeal of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, healthcare informatics reports.

Here's what you should know:

1. MedPAC recommended in June MIPS be redesigned. MedPAC believes MIPS, in its current form, does not help patients choose physicians nor does it help physicians improve value or help Medicare.

2. MedPAC recommends a smaller set of population-based outcome measures replace current MIPS metrics. A congressional report said, "The proposed outcome measures would be calculated from claims or surveys, and thus would not require burdensome clinician reporting."

3. It's believed CMS will publish its MACRA 2018 final rule no later than Nov. 1.

4. Healthcare informatics reports MedPAC reached a near unanimous agreement that MIPS, in its current form, should be repealed.

5. MedPAC suggested an alternative involving physicians having a portion of fee schedule funding withheld and pooled. Physicians would have three options to earn that funding back: participate in a large physician pool eligible for value-based payments, participate in an advanced APM model or make no election and lose the fee schedule funding.

6. CMS CMO Kate Goodrich, MD, referred to MedPAC's alternative as "interesting." She said some elements could be added in the future without changing the law. Dr. Goodrich said a MIPS repeal would require congressional approval.

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