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CMS awards $100 million to support small practices in Quality Payment Program
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The CMS is working with 11 local, experienced, community based organizations to provide immediate hands-on training and educational resources about the Quality Payment Program to thousands of eligible individual or small group practices across the nation — particularly those in rural areas, health professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas — at no cost, according to a press release.
“Clinicians in small and rural practices are critical to serving the millions of Americans across the nation who rely on Medicare for their health care,” Kate Goodrich, MD, chief medical officer of CMS and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, said in the release. “Congress, through the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, recognized the importance of small practices and rural practices and provided the funding for this assistance, so clinicians in these practices can navigate the new program, while being able to focus on what matters most — the needs of their patients.”
This program will be implemented for 5 years. CMS has committed to investing approximately $20 million to these organizations during the first year of the program and plans to invest up to an additional $80 million over the following 4 years.
Clinicians will receive guidance in all parts of the new Quality Payment Program, including help choosing and reporting on quality measures, supporting change management and strategic planning and assessing and optimizing health information technology, according to the CMS.This funding builds upon CMS’ effort to help clinicians and practices be successful in the program. Last November, CMS launched an online tool to facilitate sharing electronic data for the Quality Payment Program to reduce clinician burden, while improving overall quality of care. CMS also began offering clinicians additional opportunities to join Advanced Alternative Payment Models under the Quality Payment Program within MACRA to enhance care and earn additional incentive payments. In addition, CMS recently released a telephone helpline (1-866-288-8292) for clinicians needing assistance with the program.
The following organizations have been awarded contracts: Altarum, Georgia Medical Care Foundation, Healthcentric Advisors, Health Services Advisory Group, IPRO, Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, QSource, Qualis, Quality Insights (West Virginia Medical Institute), Telligen and TMF Health Quality Institute.
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Disclosure: Healio Internal Medicine was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.