Quality Payment Program in 2018

Q: I checked the government website to see if I am an eligible clinician and it says that I am not. I just don't want to get blindsided with a letter saying I will be penalized. Is there anything you would suggest or recommend that I do now to protect myself from future penalties. Thank you

 

A: For the 2018 reporting year, there are a significantly higher number of providers who are excluded because they raised the low-volume threshold significantly. However, it is imperative to keep in mind that Medicare payment programs can change frequently (they have done so in the past) so the advice I'm going to give right now could change in the future due to legislative action. Also, keep in mind the 2 year 'lag' in which your current payments are affected by what you did 2 years ago. Hang on to your documentation that you CURRENTLY do not qualify for 2018 MIPS participation due to the low volume threshold.

 

Even though you are not required to report measures for 2018, you need to pay attention to your thresholds carefully during the course of the year, if it changes, then you might end up being eligible by the end of the year.

 

We are recommending that providers understand this program and voluntarily report for a variety of reasons as outlined in our recent blog article (CLICK HERE) to read the article. Take time to carefully review Chapter 2.5 - Quality Payment Program in the 2018 ChiroCode DeskBook. Another good resource is the "MIPS Training Made Simple for Chiropractors" which is available in the online store.