RE: Recommended changes to MACRA
Dear Chairman Brady, Ranking Member Neal, Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, Chairman
Hatch, and Ranking Member Wyden:
As the Alliance of Specialty Medicine (Alliance), our mission is to advocate for sound federal health care
policy that fosters patient access to the highest quality specialty care. The Alliance recognizes the
importance of successful implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), as
established under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), in order to
create a single, more streamlined, and clinically relevant mechanism to evaluate clinician performance
and to adjust payment. As such, our member organizations are working with their physicians to
encourage participation in the program.
The Alliance, in agreement with the House of Medicine, has identified a few changes that would assist
clinicians in preparing for and achieving full and successful implementation of MACRA’s physician
payment reform. We believe the following suggested changes would ensure clinicians have sufficient
time and ability to digest, prepare for, and implement MIPS requirements, while also providing the
Secretary of Health and Human Services the flexibility and time to more accurately and meaningfully
assess clinician performance under this program. Additional changes would provide clarification that
we believe would strengthen the MIPS program consistent with Congressional intent. These include:
- Cost Category Weight: Provide the Secretary flexibility to set the resource use, or “cost”
category of MIPS, at a lower weight than the statutory requirement of 30 percent, but not more
than 10 percent, through the 2021 performance year;
…
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