Your MIPS Action Plan: Where to Find Helpful Resources
June 5, 2017
Your MIPS Action Plan: Where to Find Helpful Resources
It’s time to start fleshing out your 2017 action plan for participation in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Given the size and scope of the program, that can seem like a pretty daunting task. So we’re going to spend some time over the next couple of months walking you through the process step-by-step.
Let’s start by talking about the various places to find helpful resources. There is an ever-expanding collection of items available online from an ever-increasing number of players in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) space.
The CMS website is unlike any CMS website you’ve visited before and has received rave reviews for usability and usefulness. You can build a list of measures to download and peruse tools and resources, including past webinars and the 2017 Benchmark report, and find information on each MIPS category. It is worth the time to get familiar with what’s available on this site. And check back often, as new items are added every few weeks.
The most recent addition to the CMS website is the online eligibility tool. This tool allows you to enter any National Provider Identifier (NPI) to identify whether the provider excluded from participation in MIPS in 2017.
There are a number of YouTube videos ranging from a few minutes in length to well over an hour. Look for YouTube programs hosted by CMS, Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs), your electronic health record (EHR) vendor, your qualified registry or qualified clinical data registry and medical specialty associations. A couple of important points:
- Ensure the date of the video is after October 2016, as that’s when the final rule for 2017 was published. The final rule contained significant changes, so anything before that date may contain wrong or out-of-date information.
- Understand that some videos may contain marketing information or a bias towards a certain company or may recommend a type of reporting that may not be best for your organization.
Your Specialty Association
Many specialty associations are actively involved in designing quality measures for MIPS. They may have information pertaining specifically to your specialty that is not found on the general CMS QPP website. Additionally, some specialty associations may be applying to become a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR). QCDRs may include quality measures just for your specialty that are not available for reporting in the other submission methods. If you are having difficulty finding measures that apply to your practice, check with your specialty association to see whether they have this option for you to consider.
Your EHR Vendor
Each certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) may approach MIPS a little differently. They may have different workflows for capturing quality measurement data or may approach attestation for the improvement activities from a different angle. Vendors should have “best practice” guides, white papers or tip sheets to help walk you through documenting important fields for quality measures or how to set up all aspects of the Advancing Care Information criteria. These documents are a great resource to use when you start the process of improving your performance on any of the MIPS measures. You will want to validate your results before spending any time or energy on other improvement activities.
Encourage your vendor to provide you with the tools and reports to easily track, trend and monitor MIPS measures. The more customers who clamor for useful and intuitive processes to use with quality improvement, the quicker those will appear.
Your CMS Technical Assistance Contractors
CMS has provided resources across a broad spectrum of support contractors ready to assist you with your 2017 MIPS action plan. The link above contains multiple opportunities for you to find assistance at no cost to you.
Small practices (15 or fewer clinicians and practices in rural and health professional shortage areas) are covered with additional funding from Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
Larger practices (16 or more clinicians) are covered by your state-based QIN-QIO.
The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) is a CMS program supported by Practice Transformation Networks (PTNs). PTNs are peer-based learning networks that will assist you in developing competencies specific to practice transformation and making the shift to value-based payments.
Mountain-Pacific is pleased to provide support to small and large practices. We understand you may have unique circumstances in your clinic and have questions you can’t answer. Please reach out to us at qualitypaymenthelp@mpqhf.org for one-on-one assistance.
Leave a reply, ask a question or share information using the “Leave a Reply” section below, or email Sharon Phelps directly with your questions or comments.
Other Resource Links
CMS QPP Website
HTS MIPS Services
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