If you are one of the many healthcare providers/organizations baffled by the intricacies of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and have not taken action – you still have time. It is imperative that you participate at some level in 2017 to avoid potential penalties of up to 4% in 2019. Remember – the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allowed 2017 to be a transition year and you can “pick your path.”

• What path is best for you? Depending on your size, consider forming a committee to assess your current patient population, data capture and reporting capabilities. Based on your assessment, determine the best way to register clinicians (individual or group) and your level of participation for 2017 – minimal, partial or full participation. Again, pick a path, any path to prevent a penalty.
• What measures should you report? The committee should review the performance categories – Quality, Improvement Activities and Advancing Care Information – and determine what is already in place that supports these measures. In addition, determine operational changes that would support measures as well as improve the quality of care for your patients.
• What is the best way to report performance activities? Many providers and healthcare organizations utilize various vendors/software to capture/submit data. The committee should analyze the various tools used and determine the ability to streamline reporting/data capture into a single forum for efficient and effective submission to CMS. The more you streamline and simplify the process now, the easier it will be in non-transition years.

Healthcare providers and organizations should take the time now to assess current processes, systems, data collection and staff roles/responsibilities and determine how operations need adjusted to meet the requirements under MACRA. There is no indication that MACRA will be rolled back, so it is imperative to get it right from the start. For more information on our regulatory compliance/process improvement consulting services, contact us at contact@providentedge.com.