The American Medical Association is warning physicians of a looming reporting deadline under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act's Quality Payment Program.
Physicians subject to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System must meet MACRA QPP reporting requirements by Dec. 31, 2017 to avoid a penalty in 2019. Since this year is the first year of the program, physicians have the option for partial participation and may report quality information on one patient and one measure in 2017 to prevent a 4 percent payment penalty two years from now, according to the AMA.
The AMA cites various resources to help physicians prepare for MACRA and avoid this penalty. For instance, the AMA offers a MACRA resource center on its website, and launched a "one patient, one measure, no penalty" campaign with a step-by-step guide to avoiding Medicare payment penalties. The AMA also cites its MACRA podcast series on ReachMD as a resource for physicians.
"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. 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," AMA President David Barbe, MD, said in a news release.