For years, the vast majority of physicians who participated in a Medicare program incentivizing high-quality care got payment bonuses.
But more doctors than ever are expected to soon be penalized for falling short of tougher new Medicare standards, prompting increased questions from providers about the program's impact.
Why it matters: The program, known as the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), was designed to get tougher as providers got more accustomed to tracking quality metrics, but providers say it's causing more trouble than it's worth.
The program launched in 2017 as part of a Medicare overhaul aimed at pegging physician pay more closely to care quality.
"[T]here is growing evidence that this program is unduly burdensome, completely divorced from quality improvement, and exacerbating health inequities," the American Medical Association wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/05/medicare-doctor-pay-bonus-quality
But more doctors than ever are expected to soon be penalized for falling short of tougher new Medicare standards, prompting increased questions from providers about the program's impact.
Why it matters: The program, known as the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), was designed to get tougher as providers got more accustomed to tracking quality metrics, but providers say it's causing more trouble than it's worth.
The program launched in 2017 as part of a Medicare overhaul aimed at pegging physician pay more closely to care quality.
"[T]here is growing evidence that this program is unduly burdensome, completely divorced from quality improvement, and exacerbating health inequities," the American Medical Association wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/05/medicare-doctor-pay-bonus-quality
