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ACG urges CMS to grant MACRA reporting exemptions in hurricane-affected areas
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The American College of Gastroenterology has issued a letter urging CMS to waive reporting requirements under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) for physicians practicing in areas affected by the recent hurricanes.
“Greater flexibility is ... crucial in times of natural disaster,” ACG President Carol Burke, MD, and ACG Governors from Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico, wrote in the letter. “We are writing to urge you to review CMS’ regulatory authority, and to use this flexibility to grant reporting exemptions for providers practicing medicine in communities significantly impacted by the recent hurricanes that have been designated a ‘major disaster area’ by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).” Hundreds of ACG members practice medicine in these areas, they added.
ACG told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease that CMS recently announced it is “granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers located in affected areas.”
Eligible facilities are located within specific zip codes in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and are not required to submit Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions (ECE) requests, according to the letter.
ACG has asked CMS to also grant Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and MACRA reporting exemptions for clinicians practicing in areas impacted by the recent hurricanes, the College told us via email.
“CMS has used regulatory flexibility to continue the gradual transition into MACRA,” the statement said. “ACG now urges CMS to use this flexibility and authority to grant exemptions for those providers affected by these hurricanes and are subject to MIPS, just as CMS has granted exemptions for facilities impacted by these storms.”
The College recommended that CMS grant these exemptions without requiring providers to formally submit a hardship exemption request, according to the letter.
The letter highlighted that the QPP website says that providers subject to MIPS can file a QPP Hardship Exception Application for the Advancing Care Information performance category, citing insufficient internet connectivity, extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, or lack of control over the availability of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT).
“ACG believes GI practices in these areas should be able to request for this hardship exemption,” the College said. “ACG also urges CMS to use regulatory authority and grant exemptions for the other MIPS performance categories so that ACG members dedicate their resources to treating patients and repairing damages to their practices.”
The letter expressed ACG’s willingness to work with CMS to achieve these goals. – by Adam Leitenberger
Reference:
American College of Gastroenterology. “ACG letter to CMS MIPS exemptions Major Disaster Area.” Accessed September 29, 2017. http://gi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ACG-letter-to-CMS-MIPS-exemptions-Major-Disaster-Area.pdf.