{"id":2716,"date":"2018-04-16T09:46:25","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T15:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dsiohn098w.mpqhf.org\/blog\/?p=2716"},"modified":"2018-05-15T12:19:42","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T18:19:42","slug":"2018-mips-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dsiohn098w.mpqhf.org\/blog\/2018-mips-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 MIPS Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2018 MIPS Changes<\/h1>\n

April 16, 2018<\/h5>\n
Written by Sharon Phelps<\/h6>\n

Whew!! 2017 MIPS Submission is completed and it is time to begin planning for 2018 MIPS. Some of you may be well down this road while others have been completely occupied by 2017 until now. No matter where you may be, here is a list of the important 2018 changes.<\/p>\n

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  1. Low Volume Exemption.<\/strong> These values increased significantly! To exceed the thresholds, you need to see at least 200 Medicare patients AND<\/strong> have billed at least $90,000 in allowable Medicare Part B charges.\n

    Important note<\/strong> \u2013 the Balanced Budget Act of 2018 tweaked which Medicare Part B charges are used to determine the allowable charges. Effective starting in 2018, CMS will use only Part B \u201cservice\u201d charges rather than \u201citems and services.\u201d <\/p>\n

    Action Item<\/strong> \u2013 If your volumes fall BELOW either the patient or the allowable charges threshold, you can choose to voluntarily participate but will NOT assess a negative penalty if you do NOT participate.
    \nIf your volumes EXCEED both the patient and the allowable charges threshold, you will be assessed a negative 5% payment adjustment if you do NOT participate.<\/p>\n

    FAQ<\/strong> \u2013 How do can you check your eligibility status for these thresholds? By using the CMS Participation Status tool – https:\/\/qpp.cms.gov\/participation-lookup<\/a>. We anticipate the Participation Status tool will be updated very soon! Look in the first paragraph to ensure it states the Participation Status tool is for the 2018 Performance Period. <\/li>\n

  2. Neutral Score.<\/strong> The neutral point has increased to 15 points<\/strong> in 2018. As long your 2018 final score is 15 or greater, you will not receive a negative adjustment if exceed the exemption thresholds. <\/li>\n
  3. Cost category.<\/strong> This year, the Cost category will account for up to 10 points<\/strong> of your final score. This category is calculated from patients attributed to you by CMS and you do not need to report any additional data. The actual process they use to calculate these measures can get pretty intense so here are the measures with a link to more in-depth information.\n

    The two measures being calculated in this category are:<\/p>\n