AMA: Deadline to avoid Medicare payment penalty approaching

David O. Barbe

Dec. 31 is the last day physicians can act to avoid a Medicare payment penalty under the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act in 2019, the AMA said in a press release.

“The AMA is working to make sure every physician — in every practice setting and every specialty — is prepared to make the successful transition to the new Medicare law,” David O. Barbe, MD, and AMA president, said in the release.

According to the release, 2017 is the first full year of reporting under MACRA’s Quality Payment Program. Physicians can choose a quality measure to report on that makes sense for their practice based on their patient population or the procedures performed most often. In addition, practices with 15 or fewer clinicians can receive support for selecting and reporting on appropriate measures to satisfy Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requirements.

For clinicians who were not prepared for full participation this year, reporting quality information on just one patient and one measure in 2017 will allow physicians to avoid a Medicare payment penalty in 2019, according to the AMA.

“All the tools physicians need are available on the AMA website, and, with time quickly ticking down, we urge all physicians who haven’t done so already to take a few simple steps that will help them avoid a penalty,” Barbe said.

The AAFP and American College of Physicians also have materials that medical professionals can use to better understand MACRA.

For more information :

MACRA: The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. http://www.aafp.org/news/macra-ready.html. Accessed Dec. 14, 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.

http://www.aafp.org/practice-management/payment/medicare-payment/faq.html. Accessed Dec. 14, 2017.

Disclosure: Barbe is president of AMA.