CMS to Set Aside $30 Million for New Quality Measures

 

CMS has unveiled $30 million in grant funding to develop new quality measures for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). They are especially interested in developing measures that track orthopedic surgery, pathology, radiology, mental health and substance use conditions, oncology, palliative care and emergency medicine.

Many specialty physicians believe the current MIPS measures focus on primary care and are not suitable for specialists. The agency wants to “partner with clinicians” to develop measures that will lead to better health outcomes for patients.

“By working with practicing physicians, measures will have a degree of legitimacy that cannot be achieved when developed and pushed down by the government,” said Anders Gilberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the Medical Group Management Association. “Physician practices can contribute significantly to this effort by testing measures in real world practice settings to ensure clinical relevance and to minimize administrative burdens.”

CMS will accept applications for grant funding through May 2, 2018 and will start awarding funds on August 3, 2018.

Dr. Kate Goodrich, chief medical officer at the CMS, has spearheaded the project. “If we are holding providers accountable for outcomes, they have got to be at the table and help drive this change,” Goodrich said.

As always, ADVOCATE will keep you up to date on this and all issues impacting radiology as they become available.
Regards,
Lauren Sloan, MHA, RD, LD
Director of Regulatory Affairs