The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) created a new payment formula for physicians and other clinicians being reimbursement by Medicare. MACRA reimburses clinicians for higher-quality work rather than the volume of services via two pathways, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and alternative payment models (APMs).
 
Abt Associates is providing technical support to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) implementation of the MIPS component of the policy. Abt’s assistance includes:

• Maintaining and updating the list of activities and measures that qualify clinicians for incentive payments under MIPS;
• Providing technical direction for the plans for roll-out, implementation, and pilot testing of new activities and measures;
• Developing policy, education, and outreach materials; and
• Conducting focus groups, surveys, and in-depth case studies with participating clinicians related to the formula’s workflow, documentation burden, and barriers.