You’ve heard a lot about MACRA and its impending January 2017 start date, and you’ve probably heard a lot about MIPS, too. But there’s a lot to know about MIPS, and it can seem overwhelming when you’re trying to run your practice and learn about new laws at the same time. Here, we’ll look at the MIPS Advancing Care Information category and learn what to expect in 2017.
MIPS Advancing Care Information Category in the First Year
Formerly known as Meaningful Use, the MIPS Advancing Care Information category will account for 25% of a physician’s MIPS score in the first year. Certified EHR technology must be used by clinicians, who will have flexibility as they choose measures to report.
Whereas this used to be an all-or-nothing situation, it’s now more focused on interoperability and information exchange – the assigned score is performance-based.
The Possibility of Exemption
Anesthesiologists are automatically exempt from the Meaningful Use program that’s being used currently. But under the new rule, only “non-patient facing” specialties have the possibility of exemption from the Advancing Care Information category.
But what does “non-patient facing” mean? CMS has issued a statement within the rule, saying: “We intend to publish the proposed list of patient-facing encounter codes on a CMS website similar to the way we currently publish the list of face-to-face encounter codes for PQRS.” If a clinician reports 25 or more codes from that list during the reporting year, then that clinician would be considered “patient-facing” and thus not exempt from the MIPS Advancing Care Information category.
There is one other way that anesthesiologists could be considered exempt: by being “hospital-based.” This is defined as a provider who performs 90% or more of their covered services in a location identified as an inpatient hospital. We will just have to wait and see how the final rule treats anesthesiologists in this category.
Overwhelmed? Medical Business Management Can Help!
While we can’t stop MACRA from happening, we can help your practice stay focused on providing excellent care to its patients. Don’t let the paperwork, coding, and claims side of your business distract you from your job. Let MBM handle it for you. Contact us today!
