On May 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") published a proposed rule addressing the implementation of physician payment reforms included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 ("MACRA"). The proposed rule outlines the CMS framework for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System ("MIPS") and physician participation in Advanced Alternative Payment Models ("Advanced APMs"), two programs that intend to shift Medicare physician payments toward payments for value over volume.

MACRA is likely to ultimately be regarded as a watershed moment wherein the fee-for-service Medicare program took on (or even exceeded in granularity) the incentives present in managed care. Previously, a physician practice opted in to payment for performance. PQRS and meaningful use had been, to date, largely reporting incentives and ACO downside risk was both voluntary and relatively rarely attempted. The dawn of MACRA might be seen as CMS crossing the line from being a passive payer to being a demanding customer that changes the specifications of its order and settles its bill according to data it controls well after the date of service.

During this session, a brief overview of the proposed rule, timing for the final rule, and implementation timelines will be discussed. Implications of the MIPS scoring proposal will be addressed, including how to better understand the complex and confusing composite scoring mechanism. Please join us Thursday August 4th, 2016 at 1 PM Eastern as Epstein Becker Green's Mark Lutes and Lesley Yeung and EBG Advisors' Bob Atlas walk us through a range of preparation issues. Click here for detailed information and to register or call 209.577.4888.